The spirit of Maradona vs. Gurbanov’s strategy Qarabağ’s Champions League challenge

The players of Aghdam’s Qarabağ will step onto the field at exactly midnight Baku time for their fifth match of the Champions League group stage.

They come into this game following a series of results: a sensational victory over Benfica (3-2), a confident win against Copenhagen (2-0), a disappointing defeat to the Spanish club Athletic Bilbao (1-3), and a fantastic draw with London’s Chelsea (2-2).

Gurban Gurbanov’s team—whose very presence in the Champions League group stage was already considered an achievement—faces Napoli tonight at midnight, not just anywhere, but at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and on the very day marking the fifth anniversary of the sudden passing of this legendary Argentine.

And, as Napoli’s head coach Antonio Conte noted yesterday, “Tomorrow marks the anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death, and it would be wonderful to dedicate a victory to him.” What could be a greater motivation for a club than the desire to win on such a day and pay tribute to the idol of several generations of Neapolitans? And what could spur Qarabağ even more than a victory over a Neapolitan club on such a symbolic day for them? Or at least a draw…

However, why settle for “at least”? After drawing with the world champions—Chelsea’s players—a draw against Napoli no longer seems so fantastic. Considering how much today’s date will weigh on the Italians, a draw is the least unpleasant outcome that Conte’s squad might expect—especially if they look down on Qarabağ the way the London club’s players did so recklessly.

I would like to address the players of our Qarabağ.

Guys, over the past four matches in the Champions League group stage, you have already proven so much. You have shown that an Azerbaijani club can play football. And not just play, but also defeat opponents.

You have demonstrated that nothing is impossible in football—not once or twice, though you could have achieved even more if one of your opponents—the Spanish club Athletic Bilbao—had been slightly less focused or a bit less lucky. Now, you are about to face Napoli—a club that currently ranks higher in the world rankings than Chelsea. The Italians are in the top eight, while the Londoners are in 11th place.

But guys, over the past couple of months, you’ve turned all those rankings and transfer values into meaningless numbers, proving to all of Europe that Qarabağ can deliver a strong result regardless of the opponent’s strength or status. So why not give the people of our country another reason to celebrate tonight? I’m confident you can do it again. After all, as the old Carnegie used to say, if you plan to do something, the most important thing is to truly want to do it!

I am convinced that Gurban Gurbanov and his players want to win just as much as the Italians do. And they will do everything in their power to achieve it—even surpass themselves.

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az