# 2022–23 Neftçi PFK season

The Neftçi 2021–22 season was Neftçi's 31st Azerbaijan Premier League season. Neftchi will compete in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the Azerbaijan Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

## Season events

On 10 June, Neftçi announced that Samir Abbasov had left his role as Head Coach after his contract expired, with Laurențiu Reghecampf being appointed as his replacement on 21 June.
On 23 June, Neftçi announced the signing of Ataa Jaber to a two-year contract, from Ashdod. The following day, 24 June, Neftçi announced the signing of Godsway Donyoh to a two-year contract, from Maccabi Haifa.
On 1 July, Neftçi announced the signing of Kenny Saief to a two-year contract from Anderlecht.
On 4 July, Neftçi announced the signing of Solomon Kvirkvelia from Gagra to a two-year contract.
On 20 July, Neftçi announced the signing of Yegor Bogomolsky to a three-year contract from Minsk.
On 8 August, Neftçi announced the signing of Vato Arveladze to a one-year contract, with the option of a second, from Fatih Karagümrük.
On 9 January, Neftçi announced the signing of Hojjat Haghverdi to an 18-month contract from Sumgayit.
On 19 January, Neftçi announced the signing of Keelan Lebon to an 18-month contract from Astana.
On 23 January, Neftçi announced that they had sold Godsway Donyoh to Apollon Limassol.
On 26 January, Neftçi announced the year-long loan signing of Saldanha from JEF United Chiba.
On 28 January, Yusuf Lawal left Neftçi to sign for Arouca.
On 15 February, Guilherme Pato left Neftçi by mutual agreement.

## Squad

    As of match played 3 June 2023
| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Ivan Brkić | GK | (1995-06-29)29 June 1995 (aged 27) | Riga | 2022 | 2023 | 50 | 0 |
| 30 | Agil Mammadov | GK | (1989-05-01)1 May 1989 (aged 34) | Gabala | 2019 | 2022 | 111 | 0 |
| 93 | Rza Jafarov | GK | (2003-07-03)3 July 2003 (aged 19) | Academy | 2022 | | 1 | 0 |
| 94 | Alirza Mustabazada | GK | (2001-12-05)5 December 2001 (aged 21) | Academy | 2022 | | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Mert Çelik | DF | (2000-06-10)10 June 2000 (aged 22) | loan from İstanbul Başakşehir | 2020 | 2022 | 53 | 2 |
| 3 | Hojjat Haghverdi | DF | (1993-02-03)3 February 1993 (aged 30) | Sumgayit | 2023 | 2024 | 19 | 0 |
| 4 | Solomon Kvirkvelia | DF | (1992-02-06)6 February 1992 (aged 31) | Gagra | 2022 | 2024 | 42 | 2 |
| 6 | Vojislav Stanković | DF | (1987-09-22)22 September 1987 (aged 35) | Gabala | 2019 | 2022(+1) | 126 | 8 |
| 19 | Azer Salahlı | DF | (1994-04-11)11 April 1994 (aged 29) | Keşla | 2021 | 2024 | 48 | 1 |
| 26 | Omar Buludov | DF | (1998-12-15)15 December 1998 (aged 24) | Academy | 2016 | 2024 | 133 | 5 |
| 41 | Samir Gasanov | DF | (2003-04-10)10 April 2003 (aged 20) | Academy | 2022 | | 0 | 0 |
| 82 | Rufat Abbasov | DF | (2005-01-01)1 January 2005 (aged 18) | Academy | 2021 | | 2 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 5 | Kenny Saief | MF | (1993-12-17)17 December 1993 (aged 29) | Anderlecht | 2022 | 2024 | 41 | 8 |
| 7 | Azer Aliyev | MF | (1994-05-12)12 May 1994 (aged 29) | Ufa | 2022 | 2025 | 39 | 1 |
| 8 | Emin Mahmudov | MF | (1992-04-27)27 April 1992 (aged 31) | Boavista | 2017 | 2023 | 191 | 50 |
| 10 | César Meza | MF | (1991-10-05)5 October 1991 (aged 31) | Keşla | 2021 | 2023 | 55 | 6 |
| 14 | Eddy | MF | (1992-08-02)2 August 1992 (aged 30) | Unattached | 2022 | 2024 | 44 | 6 |
| 17 | Rahman Hajiyev | MF | (1993-07-25)25 July 1993 (aged 29) | Baku | 2014 | 2024 | 185 | 18 |
| 18 | Vato Arveladze | MF | (1998-03-04)4 March 1998 (aged 25) | Fatih Karagümrük | 2022 | 2023 (+1) | 20 | 0 |
| 20 | Vusal Asgarov | MF | (2001-08-23)23 August 2001 (aged 21) | Academy | 2018 | | 15 | 1 |
| 21 | Ismayil Zulfugarli | MF | (2001-04-16)16 April 2001 (aged 22) | Academy | 2019 | | 58 | 4 |
| 23 | Ataa Jaber | MF | (1994-10-03)3 October 1994 (aged 28) | Ashdod | 2022 | 2024 | 37 | 6 |
| 27 | Farid Yusifli | MF | (2002-02-20)20 February 2002 (aged 21) | Academy | 2019 | | 36 | 0 |
| 92 | Omar Gurbanov | MF | (2005-04-06)6 April 2005 (aged 18) | Academy | 2022 | | 1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Saldanha | FW | (1999-08-19)19 August 1999 (aged 23) | on loan from JEF United Chiba | 2023 | 2023 | 20 | 5 |
| 22 | Keelan Lebon | FW | (1997-07-04)4 July 1997 (aged 25) | Astana | 2023 | 2024 | 20 | 4 |
| 77 | Yegor Bogomolsky | FW | (2000-06-03)3 June 2000 (aged 23) | Minsk | 2022 | | 32 | 4 |
| 91 | Agadadash Salyanski | FW | (2004-06-19)19 June 2004 (aged 18) | Academy | 2022 | | 5 | 1 |
| Away on loan ||||||||||
| 33 | Turan Valizade | MF | (2001-01-01)1 January 2001 (aged 22) | Fenerbahçe | 2019 | 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| 56 | Elton Alibayli | DF | (2000-02-04)4 February 2000 (aged 23) | Academy | 2019 | | 1 | 0 |
| 73 | Ramin Nasirli | MF | (2002-09-24)24 September 2002 (aged 20) | Academy | 2021 | | 5 | 1 |
| Left during the season ||||||||||
| 3 | Mamadou Mbodj | DF | (1993-03-12)12 March 1993 (aged 30) | Žalgiris | 2019 | 2023 | 94 | 9 |
| 11 | Godsway Donyoh | FW | (1994-10-14)14 October 1994 (aged 28) | Maccabi Haifa | 2022 | 2024 | 21 | 5 |
| 16 | Guilherme Pato | FW | (2001-02-17)17 February 2001 (aged 22) | Internacional | 2022 | 2024 | 32 | 2 |
| 24 | Yusuf Lawal | MF | (1998-03-23)23 March 1998 (aged 25) | Lokeren | 2020 | 2022 (+1) | 88 | 7 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 23 June 2022 | MF | Ataa Jaber | Ashdod | Undisclosed |
| 24 June 2022 | FW | Godsway Donyoh | Maccabi Haifa | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2022 | MF | Kenny Saief | Anderlecht | Undisclosed |
| 4 July 2022 | DF | Solomon Kvirkvelia | Gagra | Undisclosed |
| 20 July 2022 | FW | Yegor Bogomolsky | Minsk | Undisclosed |
| 8 August 2022 | MF | Vato Arveladze | Fatih Karagümrük | Undisclosed |
| 9 January 2023 | DF | Hojjat Haghverdi | Sumgayit | Undisclosed |
| 19 January 2023 | FW | Keelan Lebon | Astana | Free |

### Loans in

| Date from | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 26 January 2023 | FW | | Saldanha | JEF United Chiba | 31 December 2023 | |

### Out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
| 23 January 2023 | FW | | Godsway Donyoh | Apollon Limassol | Undisclosed | |
| 28 January 2023 | MF | | Yusuf Lawal | Arouca | Undisclosed | |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Date to |
| 1 July 2022 | MF | Khayal Najafov | Turan Tovuz | End of season |
| 1 July 2022 | MF | Turan Valizade | Turan Tovuz | End of season |
| 7 March 2023 | MF | Ramin Nasirli | Daugavpils | 31 December 2023 |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined | Date |
| 19 December 2022 | DF | Mamadou Mbodj | Ordabasy | 24 February 2023 |
| 15 February 2023 | FW | Guilherme Pato | Figueirense | 23 February 2023 |
| 22 June 2023 | MF | Vato Arveladze | Dinamo Tbilisi | 16 August 2023 |
| 22 June 2023 | MF | César Meza Colli | Ohod Club | 21 June 2023 |

## Competitions
### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Premier League | 7 August 2022 | 28 May 2023 | Matchday 1 | 3rd | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 055.56 |
| Azerbaijan Cup | 8 December 2022 | 3 June 2023 | Quarterfinal | Runners Up | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 040.00 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 21 July 2022 | 11 August 2022 | Second qualifying round | Third qualifying round | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | +0 | 050.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 45 | 24 | 8 | 13 | 73 | 48 | +25 | 053.33 |
Last updated: 3 June 2023 Source: Competitions

### Premier League
#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 28 May 2023. Source: See Results

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | D | W | L | W | D | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | D | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | W | W |
| Position | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Qarabağ (C) | 36 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 91 | 25 | +66 | 90 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Sabah | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 75 | 24 | +51 | 81 | Qualification to Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Neftçi | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 68 | Qualification to Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Gabala | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 50 | Qualification to Europa Conference League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Zira | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 50 | |

### UEFA Europa Conference League
#### Qualifying phase
## Squad statistics

    As of match played 3 June 2023

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | Azerbaijan Cup | Azerbaijan Cup | UEFA Europa Conference League | UEFA Europa Conference League |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | CRO | Ivan Brkić | 35 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | AZE | Mert Çelik | 16 | 0 | 5+7 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | AZE | Hojjat Haghverdi | 18 | 0 | 15+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | GEO | Solomon Kvirkvelia | 42 | 2 | 29+4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | USA | Kenny Saief | 41 | 8 | 31+1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | DF | SRB | Vojislav Stanković | 37 | 2 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | AZE | Azer Aliyev | 25 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | AZE | Emin Mahmudov | 45 | 19 | 33+3 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | BRA | Saldanha | 20 | 5 | 15+2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | PAR | César Meza | 20 | 2 | 7+10 | 2 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | AZE | Eddy | 29 | 4 | 18+3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 17 | MF | AZE | Rahman Hajiyev | 19 | 2 | 4+11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | GEO | Vato Arveladze | 20 | 0 | 2+16 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | AZE | Azər Salahlı | 31 | 0 | 15+8 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | AZE | Vusal Asgarov | 3 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | AZE | Ismayil Zulfugarli | 29 | 2 | 11+14 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | FRA | Keelan Lebon | 20 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ISR | Ataa Jaber | 37 | 6 | 26+2 | 5 | 4+1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 26 | DF | AZE | Omar Buludov | 37 | 2 | 19+11 | 2 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | AZE | Farid Yusifli | 25 | 0 | 10+9 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | AZE | Agil Mammadov | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 77 | FW | BLR | Yegor Bogomolsky | 32 | 4 | 10+17 | 3 | 1+3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 82 | DF | AZE | Rufat Abbasov | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 91 | FW | AZE | Agadadash Salyanski | 5 | 1 | 0+4 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | MF | AZE | Omar Gurbanov | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 93 | GK | AZE | Rza Jafarov | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 94 | GK | AZE | Alirza Mustabazada | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players away on loan: ||||||||||||
| 73 | MF | AZE | Ramin Nasirli | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left Neftçi during the season: ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | SEN | Mamadou Mbodj | 14 | 0 | 7+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | GHA | Godsway Donyoh | 21 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 16 | FW | BRA | Guilherme Pato | 17 | 1 | 2+10 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | NGA | Yusuf Lawal | 24 | 1 | 17+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

### Goal scorers

| Place | Position | Number | Name | Premier League | Azerbaijan Cup | UEFA Europa Conference League | Total |
| 1 | MF | 8 | Emin Mahmudov | 17 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | MF | 5 | Kenny Saief | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | MF | 23 | Ataa Jaber | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 4 | FW | 9 | Saldanha | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | FW | 11 | Godsway Donyoh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | FW | 22 | Keelan Lebon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | FW | 77 | Yegor Bogomolsky | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | MF | 14 | Eddy Pascual | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | MF | 17 | Rahman Hajiyev | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | 4 | Solomon Kvirkvelia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | 6 | Vojislav Stanković | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | 10 | César Meza | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | 21 | Ismayil Zulfugarli | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | 26 | Omar Buludov | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | | | Own goal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | MF | 24 | Yusuf Lawal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | 7 | Azer Aliyev | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | 16 | Guilherme Pato | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | FW | 91 | Agadadash Salyanski | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 63 | 5 | 5 | 73 |

### Clean sheets

| Place | Position | Number | Name | Premier League | Azerbaijan Cup | UEFA Europa Conference League | Total |
| 1 | GK | 1 | Ivan Brkić | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | GK | 30 | Agil Mammadov | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | GK | 94 | Alirza Mushtabazade | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 17 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
Agil Mammadov & Alirza Mustabazada both played in Neftçi's 1-0 victory over Shamakhi on 7 August 2022

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Premier League | Premier League | Azerbaijan Cup | Azerbaijan Cup | UEFA Europa Conference League | UEFA Europa Conference League | Total | Total |
| 1 | GK | Ivan Brkić | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Mert Çelik | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Hojjat Haghverdi | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Solomon Kvirkvelia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Kenny Saief | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | Vojislav Stanković | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | Azer Aliyev | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Emin Mahmudov | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Saldanha | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | César Meza | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Eddy Pascual | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Rahman Hajiyev | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | Vato Arveladze | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | Azər Salahlı | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Vusal Asgarov | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Ismayil Zulfugarli | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | FW | Keelan Lebon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | Ataa Jaber | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Omar Buludov | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | Farid Yusifli | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Agil Mammadov | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 77 | FW | Yegor Bogomolsky | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 93 | GK | Rza Jafarov | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who left Neftçi during the season: ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | Mamadou Mbodj | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Godsway Donyoh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | Guilherme Pato | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | Yusuf Lawal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 74 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 103 | 2 |