The head coach of Azerbaijan’s U-17 national football team, Ilham Yadullayev, shared his thoughts on the team's preparations and the upcoming Development Cup tournament in Belarus.
Idman.biz reports that Yadullayev mentioned that the team's training camp started today and will continue in Minsk starting February 14. He noted that they have invited five players from Spain's Marcet team, but the priority has been given to players currently competing in the national championship.
Yadullayev also discussed the Development Cup tournament, which will be held from February 16-22 in Belarus. Azerbaijan’s U-17 team is in Group B, where they will face Russia, Iran, and Kazakhstan. Yadullayev expressed confidence in the team's preparations for the matches: “Our first match will be against Russia. We have analyzed the opponent's game. Overall, our rivals are strong teams, and the level of the tournament is high. Our goal is to perform as successfully as possible as a team, and we also want to test new players."
Regarding the consecutive matches, Yadullayev mentioned that playing two matches in a short period could be challenging. However, he emphasized that such encounters would provide invaluable experience for the players.
The Development Cup serves as preparation for the second phase of the European Championship 2024/2025 season. Azerbaijan’s U-17 team will face Albania on March 19 and Wales on March 22 in the qualifying round. Yadullayev stressed that the focus is on achieving good results in those official matches: “The Development Cup is a preparatory tournament for the European Championship qualifiers. We will do our best to achieve great results in March.”
The Development Cup matches against Russia, Iran, and Kazakhstan will take place from February 16-19, with the decisive matches scheduled for February 21.
Idman.biz
