Gurban Gurbanov: "We will prepare better for the return leg"

After Qarabag’s 2–1 defeat to Shamakhi in the Azerbaijan Cup quarter-finals, our head coach Gurban Gurbanov held a press conference, sharing his thoughts on the match and upcoming fixtures:

“First of all, I want to thank our fans. Despite the weather conditions, they stayed with our players until the very end and supported the team. This was our first match in the Cup, and the result was significant for us. We must prepare for the return leg more responsibly and seriously. I also congratulate Ayxan Abbasov and his team — they fought very well and deserved the victory.”

The head coach also addressed discussions regarding Neftçi’s position:

“I don’t use social media, but I approach every situation normally. This is not a matter of proving anyone right or wrong. We submitted a request to the Professional Football League (PFL) regarding the postponement of our match against Neftçi. At that time, our opponent could have been another team as well. I don’t want to comment on opinions. Why did we submit the request? Because the PFL regulations allow play-off teams to request a postponement with the opponent’s agreement. However, it was not postponed. I don’t see this as a serious problem — they also have their own schedules and preparations. I understand that. There have been matches postponed or rescheduled before, and just because it didn’t happen this time, we have no reason to be upset. We need to focus and prepare for the games more thoroughly.”

Gurbanov highlighted the impact of a tight match schedule on the team’s preparation:

“It would have been better for us to prepare more optimally for today’s game. We played at this stadium today, and in four days we will return here. After that, we will travel to Quba, as you know the conditions there. All of this may not allow us to prepare at the level we want for the match against Newcastle United.”

Finally, he shared his thoughts on the upcoming Newcastle United clash:

“Newcastle United is a very strong team with a distinctive playing style and physically superior players. But we will not accept their strength. We will fight until the final whistle. In the coming days, we will analyze our opponent in detail and prepare our team to the maximum level.”