Levski Sofia's Spanish coach Julio Velasquez commented in an interview for the Marcador Internacional program on Marca radio on the development of the Bulgarian championship and the ambitions of the “blues“ in the fight for the title this season, BTA reports. “So far, everything is going very well. The team is performing strongly and we are on a positive streak, but there are still nine matches left“, said the specialist from Salamanca.
Levski Sofia's main competitor in the battle for first place is Ludogorets Razgrad - champion with 14 consecutive titles. Velasquez emphasized: “They are a club with a much larger budget and regularly participate in Europe. It is not easy to oppose them.“ Regarding the 9-point lead, he added: “For our reality, this is something exceptional.“
Currently, the First League is led by Levski Sofia with 65 points, while Ludogorets Razgrad is in second position with 56 points after 27 rounds played.
“We took over the team at a difficult time and managed to reach second place and participate in the European tournaments. This season things are developing extremely well“, he also said, paying attention to the fans: “This is the club with the most supporters in the country. People live football very emotionally, but always with respect.“
Velasquez emphasized that the atmosphere at the “Georgi Asparuhov“ stadium is a key factor that creates serious difficulties for visiting teams.
The coach, who has already renewed his contract until 2028, added: “The connection with the club is very stable. We decided it was time to build a long-term project.“
In conclusion, he also commented on the state of Bulgarian football in general: “Structural development and more investment in young players are needed. This is a country with potential that needs to be developed.“