"We will witness interesting matches."

Former Azerbaijan national team player and coach Mahmud Gurbanov shared his views with Offsideplus.az.

Evaluating the teams' preparations during the winter break, the specialist noted: "The championship resumes after a one-month hiatus. It is clear that we will see an intense struggle until the end of the season. There will be serious competition for the title, European qualification, and among the outsiders fighting to remain in the elite."

Gurbanov also discussed this evening's match between Neftchi and Zira: "Neftchi held a training camp in Abu Dhabi. This period was crucial for the new head coach, Yuriy Vernydub. Although he joined the team toward the end of the first half of the season, he now had a full month to shape the squad and instill his preferred playing style.

The matches in Abu Dhabi left a positive impression. One of the most encouraging points is that the new coach is giving more opportunities to Murad Mammadov. Murad is proving his worth to the team with his goals and overall performance.

It is difficult to say exactly how Neftchi will perform today, but I believe the team should grow stronger game by game. They need to show their strength and ambition. I hope they can demonstrate this starting from today's match."

The match between Neftchi and Zira will kick off at 19:00.