The possible opponents of our representative “Qarabag”, who plays in the UEFA Europa League, have already been determined. It turned out that our team will face strong opponents.
But what are the chances of our representative advancing to the next stage?
Oku.AzThe employee was informed of the opinions of experts on the subject.
sports journalist Kanan Mastaliyev He said that “Karabakh” is among the favorites:
There is a lot to be said about Qarabag’s opponents in the league stage. In general, our opponents can be considered relatively difficult, but “Karabakh” is also among the favorites. In my opinion, our team can score 12-14 points in the league stage. I have no doubt that you will be at least in the top 24 teams. The squad is stable and once Kashuk’s transfer is made official, the squad will be deep. There are no problems in the offensive lines and in the midfield of our team. Our main weak point is the defensive line. If a player is not transferred to this position, there will be a lot of problems in the back line.
I have no doubt that Qarabag will make it to the next round, but I am not convinced that they will fall into the top eight. Our opponents are not as majestic and fit as they used to be. That is why they do not compete in the UEFA Champions League, but in the Europa League. It is true that they are well-established clubs, even Olympiakos were champions of the UEFA Conference League last season.
Aleksey Kashuk’s transfer to Qarabag is the biggest transfer of this summer’s transfer window. Any coach would like to have such a player at his disposal. Kashuk is a very good player who has proven his level and knows the local championship. Yes, he is not fit, the Kashuk we saw and remember is still far from fit, but I think he will quickly pass the adaptation period. After Addai, Kashuk’s transfer completed both a change and a generational change on the flanks. These two people will ensure that Leandro Andrade (his transfer to “Srvena Zvezda” is on the agenda in the coming days) and Abdullah Zubir leave the team in winter or next summer. Especially in the period when the captain was not the same as before, when he was in the shadow of his old days and occasionally reminded himself, these transitions also formed a good reserve force.
Another sports journalist Anar Khanlarov believes that Qarabag needs a stronger team to advance to the next stage:
Qarabag’s opponents are all strong teams. Of course, it will be very difficult to play against teams like Tottenham, Leon and Ajax. Elfsborg is also having a very good season. Matches with other opponents will be difficult. Also, I don’t consider the schedule to be a success for us. We will start the tournament with a match against Tottenham, but I think it is possible to beat teams like Olympiakos, Elfsborg, Bodo Glimt and FCSB.
Of course, Qarabag needs a stronger team to face such rivals in such a difficult group. In this sense, the transfer of Kashuk was completely appropriate. It is a very useful transfer at the moment. He is a very strong footballer with a lot of potential, he was a world champion among the youth of the Ukrainian national team. For now we can only mention the positive aspects.”
Former Azerbaijan national team and Neftchi club footballer Samir Alakbarov He said that there are serious problems in the Garabaj defense line.
“With the exception of two or three opponents, the rest are the teams Qarabag can score points against. The current Qarabag has the potential and strength to advance to the playoffs. Especially the transfer of Alexei Kashuk will add additional strength to the team. Gurban Gurbanov is a very smart and strong coach. He thinks deeply about every transfer he makes.
Qarabag’s offensive line is quite strong, but it is difficult to say the same about the defence. Especially Kevin Medina has had a very weak impact in the last few games. This Medina is not the Medina we know.”
Former Azerbaijan national team footballer. Yunis Huseynov He expressed his solidarity with S. Alekbarov:
Apart from Qarabag, all clubs are at the same level. It is true that some are stronger. Ajax was one of the best in the Netherlands. However, we cannot say what level it is at now. In my opinion, not at the previous level. We know the strength of Malmö (Sweden) and FCSB (Romania), it is possible to win. Tottenham (England) and Olympiakos (Greece) are familiar rivals for us. I think that the Greeks have become stronger than in previous years. This can be seen when we look at the results. Tottenham is one of the best teams in England.
But we should not hesitate to fight. Among these teams, we can consider the Londoners as favourites. Our game with “Bodo Glimt” (Norway) falls on the cold months. It is not a very strong opponent. “Elfsborg” (Sweden) is a suitable rival for “Karabakh”.
The arrival of Alexei Kashuk to the team will bring additional motivation. I know this player very well. When he played for Sabah, he was striking with his style of play. Since he knows Azerbaijani clubs very well, he will quickly adapt to Karabakh. Gurban Gurbanov is a head coach who is capable of establishing correct tactical processes. If he transferred Kashuku, he must know something.”
