Nazlican Parlak, a key player for Azerbaijan's national women's football team and Galatasaray, shared insights in an interview with Sportal.az, reflecting on her team's performance and the experiences gained from competing in the UEFA Champions League this season, Idman.biz reports.
- Galatasaray is currently in 5th place in the Super Lig, 10 points behind leaders Fenerbahce. What do you think is the reason for such a gap?
- This season, we participated in the UEFA Champions League, and those matches were extremely challenging. Our game schedule was tight, which affected our results in the Super Lig. However, we continue to fight and will keep pushing forward.
- Galatasaray" was in the same group as "Roma," "Wolfsburg," and "Lyon" in the Champions League. You lost all the matches, but was it a valuable experience for you?
- Of course, it was a great learning experience. It was the first time a Turkish club played in the group stage of the Champions League. Our opponents were very strong—Roma, Wolfsburg, and Lyon have been in the group stages for years. I'm confident that the next time we qualify for the group stage, it will be different. I believe we will perform better.
- Did playing in the Champions League catch the attention of European clubs? Do you have any offers?
- I scored in the playoff match that secured our qualification to the group stage, so I think I attracted the attention of some clubs. However, to be honest, I haven’t received any offers yet. Right now, my focus is solely on Galatasaray's upcoming matches.
- Do you believe Galatasaray can still win the Super Lig title this season? Or is a comeback unlikely?
- We are focused on winning all the remaining matches. Things are going well for us, and I hope our rivals will drop points. Our goal is the championship, but how it turns out will be determined at the end of the season.
- Azerbaijan's national team will face Montenegro next month. How do you assess your chances in this match?
- We have already played against them both at home and away, and we managed to beat them in both encounters. We proved that we are better, and I believe we can win again.
- One of your group opponents is Lithuania. Do you believe your group can top the table?
- Yes, we are strong enough to finish first in the group. I believe in our team, and we will fight until the end.
- AFFA has a new strategy for Azerbaijani football, with the goal of ranking 50th in the FIFA rankings for the women's national team in the next three years. Do you think this is achievable?
- Absolutely, it's achievable. If we keep going like this, we can achieve even better results. We have a strong team, and every time we step onto the field, we play to win.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
