Aykhan Abbasov, head coach of Azerbaijan Under-21 team, expressed his views on the training camp to the AFFA press service.
The 43-year-old specialist first shared his impressions of the friendly match (0-3) against the national A-team: “I would like to thank the head coach of the national A-team, Fernando Santos, for organizing the friendly match. We played with a full squad, while some members of the A-team were not in the camp because they participated in the final match of Azerbaijan Cup. Two halves of 35 minutes each were played, and both teams tested all the players. Being on the pitch with the A-team was an additional motivation for my boys. Such friendly matches are benefic for the players.”
Within the trainings, Azerbaijan Youth team to play a friendly match against the youth teams from Belarus on June 4 at Baranovichi city stadium, and Montenegro on June 8 at Mehdi Huseynzada Sumgayit city stadium. The head coach said that the goal in the matches is to win: “This is our second preparation with the Under-21 team. Our first training camp was held in Antalya. There are some new players in the squad. We want to develop as a team more after each training camp. It is good for us that the opponents we will face in the friendly matches are high in the rankings. Playing against strong teams only has a positive effect. We will face Belarus away and Montenegro at home. Considering that there will be home-away matches in the qualifying round, we have to get used to it. We will fight to win both matches. The players must focus on maximum results on the pitch. These matches will also help the players gain international experience.”
Aykhan Abbasov emphasized that they analyzed the matches of Belarus and Montenegro: “I can only say good things about the opponents. I watched Belarus' last two friendly matches. They defeated the North Macedonia in Antalya and Turkey in Istanbul. Their Under-21 team, in particular, has developed a lot in recent years. Montenegrin youth players are mainly foreign players in other countries. In short, they are interesting opponents. Facing such teams will help our development.”
