— Zenit finished in the third place in the UEFA Champions League group. During the tournament, it seemed that the team was intending to beat one of the favorites. What was our chance against Juventus and Chelsea?
— We played very well against Chelsea in London, our home game with Juventus seemed more like a draw. It was more difficult to play against Juventus in the away match. Our home fixture with Malmo has shown that we were better than the opponent, but we should’ve shown more confidence in Sweden. I think that we fairly belong in the third place to this moment. We need to play it cool in the last match and show the football we can play. It’s a very interesting team and I’m looking forward to meet them. 

— After the good game in London and the stunning win against Malmo fans had optimistic expectations of the two-match stand out against Juventus. That last-minute goal in the home match - was it a coincidence or the opponent’s class?
— It’s hard to tell, there were a lot of factors. Maybe it was the concentration we’ve lost in the endgame.

— Were you surprised by the level of Turinese and London’s football? 
— After the Champions League and the Russian national team games I always have the same feeling: there is nothing supernatural about the opponents. One has to set his mind straight, prepare properly in order not to be afraid and calmly play your game. There is no pressure on us before the last fixture and it has to motivate us to show and test ourselves against Chelsea. It must be very interesting.

—  Londoners won the UEFA Champions League trophy last season. Are they any different from the other good teams?
— We’ve only played against Chelsea once for now. It’s easier to talk about Juventus in this sense. We had two different games with them - they dominated in the beginning on their home pitch, but they didn’t on “Gazprom Arena”. Of course, Chelsea is a Club with a capital C and I have followed them for my whole life, since Abramovich bought the club. Right after the Champions League draw I’ve received messages from friends telling me that they want to visit the match against Chelsea, not Juventus. There are a lot of Chelsea fans in Russia.

— You say that you need to loosen up and play your game against Chelsea here in Saint-Petersburg. It sounds reasonable, but will you be able to do so? Is it easy to lose the psychological weight and try to force a big European team to follow your terms?
— We have a lot of good players in our offense, and we’ve got good players who are able to start that offense. I think that we need to play with confidence and not be afraid of anyone. This is the best time for it.

— Third place and qualification to the Euro League - is it a success or a failure?
— This is our minimum target. With all respect to Malmo, the team of Zenit’s level has to be higher in the standings. Given the other circumstances, we might have achieved more, but what happened has happened.

— What are your expectations of a Euro spring?
— I’d like to know the opponent first. Judging by the groups where the Russian teams play, it’s almost the same level as Champions League. There are a lot of strong teams and there’ll be even more then the third places join. It’s an interesting tournament and we’d like to show our best performance in it. We will fight.

— You’ve made your debut in Zenit’s starting line-up a little more than a year ago. Now you’re the player greatly appreciated on the pitch by fans. You’ve scored your first goal for the Russian national team. Was it a successful year for you? 
— It;’s definitely better than the second half of the last year then I just joined the team and had to adopt. I surely made a small step forward, but I’m expecting more. I need to move forward and see how it goes. 

— You’ve also scored a double against Spartak. What event would you call the most important for you in the passing year?
— Every year, there are ups and downs. Sometimes you’re in a starting eleven and score for some games in a row and sometimes you are being a last minute substitute. My double against Spartak and my first goal for the national team happened shortly after each other. I can’t tell which is the most important.

— You already scored 9 goals for Zenit. Which is your favorite? 
— I think it’s the one in Krasnodar, the one there Douglas assisted. It was also a difficult match, we snatched a draw in the end. The goal for the national team was also nice.

— You haven’t yet scored in the European cups. Is it time?
— I really want to! I hope to finish with style in the Champions League. 

— In Russian Championship, Zenit is dominating against the competitors, but sometimes loses points to outsiders. What could be the reason for it: is it the need to play in two Championships or an underestimation of opponents?
— I think it’s both. After you win 7:1 against Spartak and 4:1 against Dynamo, something happens to your mindset before the match with an outsider. It doesn’t make us better and we shouldn’t do so - but we’re only human. From the other perspective, it shows that when we are concentrated, we can win against any Russian team. Our line-up is the best and we’re sure we’ll win. We have to transfer this attitude to the Champions League. It doesn’t mean that we’ll go out and beat Bayern in the first match, but we have to try to play some football with them.

— The last match of 2021 is the away one with Dynamo, the second team in Russian Championship. What are your expectations? 
— It’s too early to call it a golden match, but it will have its strong effect on the competition. Either we will create a strong backlog before the vacation, or the competition will escalate significantly.

— What are your plans for the vacation? 
— Ten days in Dubai to begin with, then I’ll have a graduation and a spontaneous trip to Georgia with my friends. A couple of days in Tbilisi, a mountain trip. I’m not sure where I’ll celebrate the New Year - there or at home. The vacation will give me a chance to recharge before the «Gazprom» - training camp. 

— Could you tell us more about the graduation?
— I’m studying in the master program at the sports management faculty in one of the Moscow universities. I didn’t want to, but my mom made me do it for her. This will be my last graduation - I think master’s degree is enough.

— You’re a young player so here’s a question to you. Two years ago, with the help from Gazprom, the Youth Football League emerged with two younger teams representing Zenit. In your opinion, does this format help young players to show themselves? 
— Of course, championships like YFL are providing young players with practice and are preparing them for the adult football. I’m sure that the players who have shown themselves on this level will adapt quicker to the conditions of the Premier League.

— What would you wish for yourself on the eve of 2022?
— I always make a wish for a New Year - I write it down on paper and burn it. I never tell anyone what I wished for, but I wish for myself for all my wishes to come true.