Idman.biz
The main rivals of the Azerbaijani national minifootball team in Group F of the European Championship are the Italian and French national teams.
Idman.Biz reports that this was stated by the head coach of the team, Elshad Guliyev.
In his statement to Report, the specialist noted that they were in a difficult group while talking about the results of the draw and the strength of the opponents:
"They are familiar opponents. We played against both Italy and France in the last European Championship. Although we won at that time, the games were very difficult for us. Although Austria did not qualify from the group in the last European Championship, they are a normal team. Teams are getting stronger every year. Italy and France have strengthened their squads with new players and further increased their level. 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. We have a very good chance of getting out of the group. 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 said that the preparation process will consist of three stages and 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 the last stage of preparation until May 25. Currently, 80 percent of our team is known. However, we are also watching the play-off stage of the Azerbaijan championship in order to invite players who are in better shape and who we have missed. We had not gathered since the World Championship in Baku. We may invite several players to the team."
Touching upon the favorites of the championship, the expert named several ambitious teams:
"The England national team is at a very high level physically, they have attracted new and quality players from the Championship to their squad. Their Championship is more level than our main league. It is one of the teams I like in the championship. Also, the host Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria are also strong teams and candidates for the championship. Portugal and Montenegro should not be forgotten either. I watch 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 density 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.
