"Landau Lions" head coach Erhan Toker has assessed his team's upcoming clash against Latvia's "VEF Riga" in the FIBA Champions League qualifying round.

According to Offsideplus.az, the specialist expressed pride in the representation of four Azerbaijani clubs in European competitions and outlined his goals for the tournament.

The head coach emphasised the difficulty of securing a place in the main group stage of the Champions League:

"Our first game in the Champions League will be against 'VEF Riga'. We know it is very challenging to qualify for the main group stage in this tournament. Nevertheless, we will strive to do our best. Our goal is to represent Azerbaijan honourably in the tournament by achieving consecutive victories. If we cannot achieve this, we will continue our fight in the FIBA Europe Cup."

Touching on the opponent's playing style, Toker highlighted their past experiences:

"VEF Riga is a regular participant in European tournaments, like 'Trefl Sopot' and 'Kalev', whom we faced last season. They are a team that plays tough and physical basketball."

The coach noted that both teams are still in the process of formation and are not yet fully prepared:

"Currently, we are also shaping our squad, and the transfer work is not yet complete. Most likely, the opponent is in the same process.

It is possible to make certain assessments based on their previous games. However, it is difficult to express a concrete opinion at this stage. I believe that a more comprehensive evaluation will be possible once both our and the opponent's final squads are determined."