Head coach of the Azerbaijan national team: A tough game awaits us against Lithuania

A tough game awaits us against a combative and determined team.

As reported by Oxu.Az, Azerbaijan national team head coach Aykhan Abbasov made this statement at a press conference ahead of the UEFA Nations League league phase match between Azerbaijan and Lithuania.

According to him, the opponent has a certain advantage in terms of physical readiness before the upcoming match.

"Lithuania played a friendly match a day before us and did not involve some of their key players in it. Some of our players, on the other hand, played the full 90 minutes in the previous match. The upcoming game will be our fourth already. After the previous match, we spoke with the players. Of course, there was disappointment that we were unable to win. However, we need to leave that result in the past and show better quality football in the game against Lithuania.

Playing for and working with the national team always comes with great pressure. A player must be able to cope with it. Right after the previous match, we also spoke separately with some players. There are players who play more freely at their clubs but cannot show the same confidence with the national team. Their careers with the national team are just beginning, so they need time to adapt.

The squad also includes quite experienced players who have already faced similar situations. We have also had to come through more difficult situations. One match doesn't decide everything. Each such match gives us certain experience.

Of course, we want to finish first in the group, collect as many points as possible, and improve our ranking. Starting from the next cycle, the format of League C will also change, and the number of opponents will increase. Therefore, we need to go through a certain stage to build the team and better understand the players' capabilities.

Every day of this process has been a new challenge for us. I hope all the experience gained will benefit our team in the future," the head coach noted.

As a reminder, the Azerbaijan vs. Lithuania match at Palm Sport Arena will kick off tomorrow at 17:00.