Former goalkeeper of the Azerbaijani national team, Jahangir Hasanzada, shared his thoughts with Idman.biz.
– The Azerbaijani national team will face Estonia tomorrow in the Nations League. What are your expectations for the match?
- We only expect victory against Estonia. Our team has the strength to defeat them. Of course, it would have been better if the match were in Baku because the fans’ support plays a crucial role. However, we’ll still have plenty of fans in Gabala. My expectations are solely for a win.
– Everyone is focused on winning against Estonia. There are several key absences in the team. If we lose, would it be considered a fiasco?
- Yes, the public, football fans, and journalists are all expecting a victory. We have injuries, but I don’t think the absence of specific players will prevent us from achieving a positive result.
- The team needs to win by a two-goal margin to remain in Division C. Do you think they can manage this?
- I believe so, and perhaps even more. We have enough resources—both in terms of players and determination. I don’t consider Estonia to be a particularly strong team. Yes, they beat us in the first match, but the game showed that we played better. Our potential is greater.
- How would being relegated to Division D affect our team? Would staying in Division C be more beneficial?
- I don’t even want to consider the possibility of our team dropping to Division D. I believe our current position suits us, and we should continue competing in Division C.
- Recently, there’s been a goalkeeper issue in the national team. Do you think excluding Mehti Jannatov was the right decision?
- There’s nothing unusual about the roster. Such decisions should be left to the head coach. He knows best. I trust that he analyzed the situation thoroughly and called up the players he deemed necessary. It’s not our place to judge whether the selection was right or wrong. The coach is doing his best.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
