START OF A NEW SEASON

There is not long to go before the start of the new Azerbaijani football league season. The draw has been made and the championship fixture list prepared with ten teams kicking off on 9 August. R+ looks at the chances of the teams for this season.

Qarabag

Qurban Qurbanov's team are one of the favourites for the new season after winning the championship last season. Qarabag is representing Azerbaijan in the Champions League and the first matches have shown that, as well as a strengthening of the side, there has been an improvement in quality. Thanks to experienced foreign players, like Reynaldo and Richard Almeida, Qarabag will cause problems for any team. The Agdam side's success is down to its swift attacking moves. It will be up to Sumqayit to withstand the pressure of the current Azerbaijani champions in the first round, although it will be a tough ask. It looks like only Inter and Xazar-Lankaran will be capable of standing up to Qarabag in the new season.

Inter

Chief coach Kakhaber Tskhadadze is the main weapon of Inter who lag behind the other top teams in Azerbaijan both in strength of squad and budget. Inter got safely through the first round of the Europa League, beating Tiraspol (Moldova) and have a great chance of progressing to the next round where their opponents will be Elfsborg (Sweden).

The team's aim in the new Azerbaijani season is to reach the top, but even now one can expect serious problems here. A lack of strikers and decent reserves is making the coaches' work difficult. It is virtually impossible to do well in the Europa League and in the championship by playing the same team. Playing two games a week the players soon get tired, leading to points lost in the early rounds. So they need to attract new players before the close of the transfer window. In the first round of the championship Inter will meet the ambitious Qabala side.

Qabala

There is no end to Qabala's problems.  Their debut in the Europa League under new coach Dorinel Muntyan was a failure: knocked out in the first round. A radical change of squad and new players not fitting in are basic problems for a coach. And this season has been made doubly difficult for Muntyan because his predecessor, Yuriy Semin, got the team into Europe. And Muntyan was expected to at least repeat this. But so far their play has deteriorated. They still haven't been able to attract a top-class player to replace Daniel Subotic. Qabala's home-based players are not playing to their potential which is making Muntyan's task difficult. So the team's chances of reaching the top of the table will depend on the other clubs.

Neftci

The Azerbaijani cup-holders are going through difficult times. After losing at home (1-2) to Koper (Slovenia) in their first match in the Europa League, the club's vice-president, Tahir Suleymanov, resigned. Chief coach Boyukaga Haciyev also decided to resign whatever the outcome of the return match against the Slovenian side. After a drop in the budget there have also been reductions in the squad. And the departure of Mahir Sukurov and Rasad Sadiqov was bound to affect the side, which gives cause for concern. They could be starting the season with a new coach and a new squad. Neftci has always had its eyes on the championship but this season the prospects look bleak.

In the first round of matches Neftci will go to Naxcivan to play Araz-Naxcivan, and they will be tough opponents. On 13 August Neftci will be up against an even stronger side - Qarabaq - in the Azerbaijani Super Cup.

FC Baku

Because of financial problems the bulk of the squad and the chief coach have quit the "Stripes". It is virtually the club's second eleven that is preparing for the start of the season. Only players who have agreed a cut in wages are left from the basic line-up. Baku began their preparations for the new season later than the rest because they didn't go to a training camp abroad, which is bound to affect their performance. The club, under the guidance of Turkish coach Ibrahim Uzunca, has virtually no ambitions. All they can do is try to stay in the Premier League. So, even a point in their first round match against Simurq will be seen as a success. 

Xazar-Lankaran

The "Southerners" will start the new season with a new coach - the former Turkish international, Oguz Cetin. The club has attracted Brazilians and players from the Azerbaijani national team, Afran Ismayilov and Rauf Aliyev. Cetin is now completing the make-up of his squad. There is a feeling of progress in the team, although they are not playing particularly well at the moment. Xazar-Lankaran could consolidate their position in the upper part of the table as the championship progresses by taking advantage of opponents' mistakes. Cetin will also be able to shuffle his squad around, depending on opponents and results. So the "Southerners" are perfectly capable of being in contention for medals and putting an end to their run of failure.

Simurq

The team from Zaqatala will continue to focus their main attention on improving the club's infrastructure. Most of the budget of the team, which gives young players an opportunity to play in the senior side, will go towards completing the construction of the club's headquarters. For that reason one should not expect much from Simurq who will be glad to consolidate their place in mid-table.  Their chances against the championship favourites are not rated very highly, but in the first round they will be up against a weakened Baku, which will give them hope of success.

AZAL

The club's sponsors were unhappy about the club's performances last season and have reduced their budget. Chief coach Tarlan Ahmadov has been forced to give an opportunity to young players coming from other clubs, so the team's chances of a medal in the championship are, like previous years, small.  Keeping up with the championship favourites will be regarded as a big success. In the first round AZAL face Xazar-Lankaran at home and both sides have an equal chance of success.  

Sumqayit

The main objective of the team, created by AFFA, is to give an opportunity to young players, so attracting youth to the squad is a perfectly normal thing for the club. No-one is expecting anything sensational from Sumqayit, with survival in the Premier League the main goal. In the first round Sumqayit have a difficult match against the champions, Qarabag. However, Qurban Qurbanov is not expected to field his main players against Sumqayit. Instead, we are more likely to see a second eleven made up of youngsters.

Araz-Naxcivan 

After a long break top football returns to Naxcivan. Founded just a year ago, Araz-Naxcivan, in their first season in the First Division, earned the right to play in the Premier League. Araz Abdullayev's team is generally good to watch and one can expect it to spring a few surprises. The team is mainly made up of home-grown players and is not expected to challenge for medals, but if they concentrate on defence they should make the top five.