"We will be playing against a very high-quality team. This match is important for us."
This is what Qarabag’s head coach, Gurban Gurbanov, stated during the press conference held before the UEFA Europa League Group Stage match against Lyon (France) in Baku. The 52-year-old coach emphasized that the team's goal is to bring joy to their fans: "We have not prepared poorly for this match. We really want to make our fans happy and achieve a positive result. This match is of great importance to us, so we will do everything we can to win."
- How is the readiness of Marko Vesovic and Matheus Silva? Will they be able to play from the first minute in tomorrow's game?
- Both players are in good form. Today and tomorrow, we will make a final decision on whether they will be part of the starting lineup. Overall, I am satisfied with their preparation.
- Lyon is currently a team struggling both financially and morally. Does this increase your chances of winning?
- We have analyzed their games and looked into their squad. Our lineup is also clear, though there are one or two positions still uncertain. Whether Lyon is in crisis or not, we are preparing to win. This is always the case when facing any opponent. These are just rumors. Every year, there are such rumors about big clubs. In such situations, they sell one or two players to other clubs and solve the problem. Their players are highly valued. It wouldn’t be right to approach this match with such thoughts. When they lose, people say that the team with these problems couldn’t win. Lyon is a club with a long history, and such issues are just rumors.
- Considering that the opponent is Lyon, have you planned any special tactics?
- We have always focused on improving our own game. This should be our main weapon. We will try to execute what we can do in a more quality way. However, we must also neutralize the strong aspects of any opponent. Every team has its strengths. There are just a few elements we need to be particularly attentive to, which may apply to Lyon as well. Given Lyon’s strengths, we must focus on the details. We will also have a few additional tactical considerations for our attack plan, but whether they will be implemented depends on how the game unfolds. Most of our preparation is focused on improving our own game.
- What specific qualities do you think will surprise Lyon?
- I don’t like to give too much information about the opponent. I just provide the necessary information to my players. As I said earlier, we will be playing against a very high-quality team. Our biggest strength is our team play. If we look at the components, Lyon appears to be stronger than us. They play in a better league and are a bigger club. However, we also have extensive experience in Europe. We will work together as a team to do what’s necessary on the field to achieve the desired result.
The Qarabag vs. Lyon match will take place at Tofig Bahramov Stadium on November 28, with a 21:45 kickoff.
Aytac Sahed
Idman.biz
