We approach the final match of the season in high spirits. We have done our job and move on to other things, like giving playing time to those who haven’t had the opportunity to play so much and to get some players ready to join their international teams.
Neither side has anything to play for, what should the fans expect?
A good game! It’s still a sporting contest and every team and player always wants to win. Our team and Tambov are an exception.
So will you make changes? Do you know what team you will put out in Saransk?
There will be changes of course, as there were in the previous game. The players didn’t have the chance to have their full holidays last year, especially the foreigners, so they’ll be given additional time off, everyone else is getting ready to play.
Zenit have never played at the Saransk World Cup stadium. How interesting will it be for you to play there? And is it important to you where you play?
Playing in a good stadium with a nice pitch is always a plus, especially since we haven’t been spoiled with good pitches this year, We have not always had the chance to train on good pitches at our training centre this year. The pitch at the Gazprom Arena has become much better and playing on a good pitch is always nice for us.
Are you taking into account the upcoming Euro Champs? Will players like Dejan Lovren and the Russian internationals play?
Dejan Lovren will not play in Saransk, because he is training on an individual programme and has not yet managed to train in as part of the full group. After recovering for two weeks there was a chance that he was almost ready, but his rehab has slowed down a bit. His main priority is to be ready for the Euros, which is what he is doing.
As for the Russian players, we rested a number of players instead of playing on the artificial pitch at Ufa, so they have had enough time to rest and we are looking after them. They have the option to play in the final match of the season.
What are the team's plans for summer break?
The plan is that on or after 10 June we will get together in St. Petersburg and have our first training camp here. After that, it depends on the situation in Europe. If everything goes well, we will hold a training camp in Austria. This is our plan and if the situation changes we’ll make adjustments.
