The name of another team that will represent Azerbaijan in the 2025/26 season of European Cups may become clear this week.
Idman.biz reports that after "Qarabag", "Zira" can also get a ticket to continental tournaments.
The students of Rashad Sadigov are close to achieving this by securing a place among the winners in the Misli Premier League. "Zira", which has 61 points after 31 rounds, is one step away from Europe.
The settlement club is 13 points ahead of "Turan Tovuz", which is in 4th place. In order to secure a place in the European Cup, Zira not only needs to maintain this advantage, but also be 12 points ahead. Because even if the Baku club has equal points, it will surpass the Tovuz representative in additional indicators.
Being 12 or more points ahead of the 4th place after the upcoming XXXII round depends on the matches in Tovuz. On April 25, "Turan Tovuz" will host "Shamakhi" in its home field. If the home team does not win - even if they draw - "Zira" will win a ticket to the continental cups.
Even if "Turan Tovuz" wins at its stadium, the "eagles" who will enter the same arena the next day can achieve their goal. For this, Sadigov and his team must defeat "Kapaz", which is in the group of outsiders. In a word, most likely "Zira" will go to Europe from Tovuz.
But whether the Baku team will play in the Europa League or the Conference League does not depend on them. True, Zira still has a chance for the Champions League. But these opportunities are only on paper and will end in the next round.
The question of which tournament the team will participate in may be clarified during the cup matches to be held during the week. If "Qarabag", which is on the verge of championship, fails to pass the "Araz-Nakhchivan" barrier in the semi-final and loses the chance for "Golden Double", "Zira" will go to the Conference League. The settlement club's participation in the Europa League depends only on the champion winning the cup.
It should be noted that since "Zira" is 15 points behind "Qarabag" in the 1st place, the chance for the championship and the Champions League may officially end in the upcoming rounds (
https://www.idman.biz/az/news/football/74066).
Vugar Khayrullayev
Idman.biz