Today, the draw for the UEFA Champions League “play-off” round will be held. As a result of the draw, “Qarabağ”'s opponent in the UEFA Champions League “play-off” round will also be determined.
Our team will have to compete against either PSG (France) or “Newcastle” (England) to qualify for the 1/8 finals.
The play-off round draw will start at 15:00 Baku time.
Which club is a more suitable opponent for "Qarabağ"?
In a statement to Modern.az, football expert Ağasəlim Mircavadov stated that there is no concept of a more suitable or appropriate opponent in football:
One of our potential opponents is a French club, the other is a British club. That is, both are strong clubs. The last game showed that to play even better, we must, of course, develop. We need to develop our players and improve the infrastructure of the club system. It is clear that if we truly want to perform better, this must happen. You know, it's very strange that in the English championship, people come to watch games with their families, to relax. I have been there, I am a witness to this. However, there are differences in the Azerbaijani championship.
Therefore, it doesn't matter whether it's PSG or “Newcastle”. It is necessary to play against both of them. For that, one must develop oneself. Of course, "Qarabağ" did an excessive amount of work this year. They played very well in Europe, making a name for themselves both at the club level and at the Azerbaijani level. This is a great achievement, an extremely great achievement. This now needs to be developed.
You know, nothing happens with just one club. That is, it is necessary to develop in a comprehensive manner”.
According to A. Mircavadov, a match with PSG would be more interesting:
“Now our potential opponents will be PSG or “Newcastle”. Currently, I would very much like us to draw PSG. Because they are the winner of the league championship. They are the winner of the intercontinental cup. We should say “thank you very much” to Qarabağ for bringing such clubs to Azerbaijan. That is, if our next opponent is PSG, I understand that it would be even more interesting. Because PSG is one of the clubs that works a lot with short passes and excessive ball possession. This would be much more interesting. The possibility of advancing to the next stage can always exist. Who would have said that "Qarabağ" would reach the Champions League play-offs? But we professionals know how Qarabağ got here, which games they won, and which clubs they played against. This is extremely important. Excluding yesterday's game, they have not lost to anyone at a football level in 7 games. This shows a lot. Qarabağ"'s players have developed excessively and they also believe. Belief is an extremely great thing.
Therefore, I think that no matter which club it is, one must believe. One must believe that our team can win”.
Commenting on the match with Liverpool, Ağasəlim Mircavadov said the following:
“Qarabağ" needed to be shaken up in some game. It is also necessary to go through the school and learn. It's never too late to learn. Yesterday's game showed that a name is also a big thing. The name has a history. The players themselves want to protect this name. Therefore, I think there is no need for any concern here. "Qarabağ"'s players should also accept this calmly and be ready”.
