How is Claudinho and is he ready to play?
We hope that his problems are behind him and that today he will start training in the general group. We'll see, but I think everything should be fine and he will be available for the match.
Douglas Santos was on the bench in your last match is ready to start the next game?
He's ready to play, but we’ll see if he starts or not. We have three games ahead of us and if we include the Fenerbahce game, then it’s four, all in twelve days. Our fixture list is quite tight so I think we’ll need all the players we have at our disposal to rotate with those who are tired. Now it is very important for us to get through these fixtures without issues.
Khimki changed a lot of their squad during the winter break. What can you say about them?
We know their manager and what he likes. We saw them against Fakel and the games they played during pre-season. Some things are the same, but the squad and their style of play are changing. I think the coach is trying to find out his best team with the players he has now. They have a good squad and we are expecting a very challenging game.
Other than Claudinho is everyone else fit and ready for the Khimki and Dynamo matches?
Yes. Everyone else is fit and getting ready for these matches.
Mateo Cassierra started the match with Pari NN as you said you wanted someone good in the air, do you want the same for the match against Khimki?
Mateo Cassierra and Ivan Sergeev play in the same position, but have different individual skills, Mateo is taller and is better in the air, so in some matches we take that into account. Sergeev is good in other areas, his play around the box and movement, and he is a very smart player. We take into account everything when choosing who starts. I think that the two players are comparable in terms of ability and it depends on our opponents and the players conditioning, that’s how we make our choice.
Khimki are a counterattacking team, with quick players that allows their manager to play a system he likes. We’re looking forward to a tough and exciting game with Khimki as Gogniev's teams never sit back, so we’ll see soon who’ll win.
Today in St. Petersburg it was -17 in the morning, but at the Gazprom Arena you can walk around in shorts. Is this a massive bonus for you, being able to train here?
We do not always train in these conditions. Before the away game with Volga, we trained at our training centre where the conditions are the same as in Ulyanovsk. We also want to protect the pitch, so during the week we train at the training centre. We'll be playing here in two days, so we need to have a couple of sessions here so the players have got used to it a little. It doesn’t make much difference where we train, everyone understands and no one complains.
Many were impressed by Renan's debut against Pari NN, when he was dribbling and beating opponents while being in central defence. What did you think about his bold style of play?
He’s does it quite confidently, but his teammates need to get used to his style of play, and likewise, him to ours, and then interaction with his teammates will gradually improve. I think he had a good game. It's important for a defender to be solid and so far I don't see any problems with his running with the ball. The key is to be in the right place at the right time.
