The first day of the Azerbaijan Cup Round of 16 kicks off today, highlighted by an unprecedented clash between Russian coaches in Azerbaijani football history.
Kurban Berdyev’s Turan Tovuz will host Vasiliy Berezutskiy's Sabah, marking the first-ever matchup between Russian head coaches in the country's top-tier competitions, Idman.biz reports.
Previously, Berdyev and Berezutskiy faced each other in Russia in different roles: Berdyev as a coach and Berezutskiy as a player. Now, they meet again, this time both as head coaches.
For Berezutskiy, this marks not only his debut in the Azerbaijan Cup but also his first-ever appearance as a head coach in any cup competition. Meanwhile, Berdyev, who joined Turan Tovuz this summer, already has an impressive 7:2 victory over Hypers Guba in the preliminary rounds.
The B&B Derby will be a historic event, as it's the first time two Russian head coaches have faced each other in the Azerbaijan Premier League or Cup. While Russian coaches have worked in the league before—Sergey Yuran with Simurg in 2011, Yuri Semin with Gabala in 2013-14, and Murad Musayev with Sabah from 2021-24—they never overlapped.
Tonight's match, starting at 18:00 in Tovuz, promises to be an exciting chapter in Azerbaijani football history.
Idman.biz
