Bakı roll up their sleeves for Levski

Having staked their reputation on representing Azerbaijan in Europe, FK Bakı are hoping coach Gjoko Hadzievski's Bulgarian experience can help them to undo PFC Levski Sofia tonight.

Daunting benchmark
Last Thursday, FK Qarabağ set a daunting new benchmark for Azeri clubs as they eliminated Rosenborg BK from the UEFA Europa League, but league champions Bakı know they can go a step further and guarantee themselves a place in the group stage of one of the top UEFA club competitions if they beat Levski over two legs.

Bulgarian experience
The draw may have dealt the capital club a good turn, with their Macedonian coach Hadzievski well acquainted with Bulgarian football following spells as coach of PFC CSKA Sofia, in 1993/94, and PFC Vihren Sandandski two years ago, though the well-travelled 54-year-old was reluctant to draw too much comfort from that.

Familiar face
"It is impossible to compare todays Levski with the team they had two years ago," he said. "Ratko Dostanić replaced Emil Velev as coach recently. When I was coach of Vihren I came up against
Dostanić's PFC Slavia Sofia side. We lost in that match but I know his style of work well and the standard of his new team."

'Big Baku'
Bakı are hoping that in future, they will carry a similar reputation in European competition, having initiated a major campaign last summer to raise standards. The Big Baku-2014 project has seen the club's training facilities refreshed while special attention has been paid to their youth and reserve teams.

'Here and now'
Nazim Suleymanov, the former Azerbaijan captain who won the Russian title as a player at FC Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz in 1995, led the youth team to a national title last season, and said of the Bakı renaissance: "The foundations for the success of the future stars of Azeri football are being laid here and now."

Brazilian sensation
Overcoming FK Ekranas to reach the third qualifying round may, however, have been more down to short-term planning, and the signing of 24-year-old Brazilian striker Felipe Almeida on loan from FC Spartak Nalchik. His three goals in that 6-2 aggregate win made him an instant celebrity in Baku.

'Even better'
The Brazilian is hoping his reputation will soon stretch to Sofia too, saying: "We were stronger than Ekranas and deserved to qualify for the next round. I am happy I managed to hammer in some goals and please the fans, but that is my job. I am sure it is possible to beat Levski. We can play even better than this."

National pride
Further improvement in the UEFA Champions League is certainly what excites club president Hafiz Mamedov. "It is not that important where we end up in the local league," he said. "The most important thing is how we represent Azerbaijan in Europe. That's why I am so happy that we made the Azeri people happy last week."