"The result of the Champions League draw was successful for the Azerbaijani men's volleyball club "Azerreyl". This was stated by the head coach of the team, Boris Grebennikov, in his statement to "Report", Sport24.az reports.
The expert stated that the Serbian representative "Radnicki", which they will face in the first qualifying round, is a strong opponent:
"We were lucky in the draw, we got a strong opponent. They became the champion of Serbia after a long time. This shows the strength and motivation of the team. I am familiar with the championship of this country. I know that young and promising volleyball players play in the teams. What is required of us is to go to the field and fight to the end. In my opinion, we are able to eliminate this opponent from the competition and advance to the next stage. Our advantage is that we have preserved the squad of the past season. There are no problems with adaptation among volleyball players. In addition, we have recruited a new setter to the team. As far as I know, there have been no serious changes in the squad of "Radnicki" either. They have only made two new transfers. For this reason, there will be a very interesting duel. Of course, I analyze the opponent's games, trying to determine their strengths and weaknesses."
Grebennikov emphasized that they will start preparations in August: "We will start preparations at the end of August. We will have 2 months to prepare. In my opinion, it is enough time to prepare well. I think the result of the draw is quite successful."
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani champion will clarify relations with the Serbian representative "Radnicki" in the first qualifying round of the tournament. The first match between the parties will be on October 21-23, and the return match will be a week later.