OMM Redaksiyası
Sabah head coach Valdas Dambrauskas assessed the team’s Champions League debut in an interview with Arab News. The Lithuanian coach said the club had qualified for the tournament after progressing through four qualifying rounds. He added that any further success would be an additional achievement.
Dambrauskas said the draw had been difficult for Sabah and that the team would face some of the world’s strongest clubs. He said the matches mattered not only for their results but also for raising the profile of the club and Azerbaijan.
34,000 kilometres of travel for away games
The head coach also addressed Sabah’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in the first round. He said the players had not been intimidated by their opponents or the stadium atmosphere, but had shown some tactical hesitation. In Dambrauskas’ view, opponents at this level punish even the smallest mistakes.
The coach said the team would travel a total of 34,000 kilometres for its four away games. He put the outward journey at 17,000 kilometres and said that, including the return trips, the distance would approach the circumference of the Earth.
Goal of raising Azerbaijani football’s profile
Dambrauskas said the congested schedule would leave less time for training on the pitch, increasing the importance of video analysis and one-on-one discussions. He called Sabah’s qualification for the Champions League league phase, making it the second Azerbaijani club to do so after Garabagh, a historic achievement for the country’s football.
Founded in 2017, Sabah won the Azerbaijani league title and the national cup last season. The team will play its second league-phase match against Slavia Prague at Baku Olympic Stadium today. Kick-off is at 20:45.
