Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijani national team player Mahir Emreli has addressed the press conference ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in Baku, Azernews reports.

In his speech, the football player stressed that the Azerbaijani team is facing a tough match the next day.

He added that the team would do everything they could to make people forget the loss to Iceland.

"Tomorrow we face a tough match. There's no need to talk about the opponent—they have a squad full of skilled players and they've come here highly motivated. We'll do everything we can to make people forget the loss to Iceland," he said.

The forward acknowledged that the defeat in the first match had a negative impact on the team:

"After games like that, it's hard to focus on the next match. These things happen in football. Not winning consistently creates pressure. We all understand our responsibility. If we can get a good result, it will help ease that pressure. We want to achieve a positive outcome tomorrow."

The Azerbaijan–Ukraine game is set for September 9 and will be held at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, with the match kicking off at 20:00 (Baku time).