Report.az
The main rivals of the Azerbaijani national minifootball team in Group F of the European Championship are the Italian and French national teams.
This was stated to "Report" by the head coach of the team, Elshad Guliyev.
Speaking about the results of the draw and the strength of the opponents, the expert noted that they were in a difficult group:
"These are familiar opponents. We played with both Italy and France in the last European Championship. Although we won at that time, the games were very difficult for us. Although Austria failed to get out of the group in the last European Championship, they are a normal team. Teams are getting stronger from year to year, Italy and France have further increased their level by strengthening their squads with new players. Our main rivals in the group are Italy and France. They are fully formed teams, they are dangerous. We have not seen Austria's games recently."
Speaking about the goals, E.Guliyev emphasized that they want to get out of the group as leaders:
"Our goal is to be the leader in the group. Our chances of getting out of the group are very high. Since we are the last world champion, it is our duty to get out of the group. We have a strong team, we must make maximum use of this potential."
The head coach, who said that the preparation process will consist of three stages, explained the schedule as follows:
"We will start gathering on April 6. The first stage will be in Baku until April 25. In the second stage, we plan to go to Montenegro and participate in a tournament there. We will return to Baku on May 8 and go to Slovakia after completing the final stage of preparation until the 25th. Currently, 80 percent of our team is known. However, we are also following the play-off stage of the Azerbaijani championship so that if there are players who have escaped our attention and are in better shape, we will invite them to the national team. We had not gathered after the World Championship in Baku. We may invite several football players to the team."
Touching on the favorites of the championship, the expert named several contenders:
"The England national team is at a very high level physically, they have attracted new and high-quality players from the Championship to their squads. Which is more level than our main league. They are one of the teams I like in the championship. Also, the host Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria are strong and championship-contending teams. Portugal and Montenegro should not be forgotten either. I follow the Portuguese championship, it is at a high level. Georgia also played well in Baku. It's just that their groups were difficult."
Complaining about the tightness of the tournament schedule, E.Guliyev said that there is little time for recovery:
"The schedule is tighter compared to the World Championship. Since we are in the last group, our games start on the 28th of the month. We have to play consecutive games and, unlike big football, there is no time to rest here. We have raised this issue so that at least one day off is given in between, because without recovery, there is a risk of losing to any team."
It should be noted that the European Minifootball Championship will start on May 27 this year in Slovakia. The Azerbaijani national team will compete with the national teams of Italy, France and Austria in Group F.
