Ivan, you’ve just had a training session with the kids from the Zenit football school. What were you feeling playing with those guys? You even became a goalkeeper at some point.
“It’s a special day for the kids, they came to a big stadium to see us, the footballers. They look up to us and attend matches. Today we had a mixed training, and it was interesting for us to return to our childhood for a moment, to remember how we also used to play football as kids. Although we were playing in our yards, not at good quality pitches. The training was awesome and super cool! The positive emotions are taking over!”
A few questions on the upcoming match. Unfortunately you missed the game against Lokomotiv, but are you feeling better now?
“Yes, everything is great now, I felt a little bit unwell before the match against Lokomotiv, but now I’m healthy and ready to help the team in the upcoming game.”
Speaking of your opponent, you won the first match against them with the score 2-0, but it was a tough game, Zenit were able to score only in the second half to get this win. How difficult do you think the upcoming match will be as Pari NN don’t concede as many goals?
“They are a tough opponent to face, and that is correct, they rarely concede. The first match against them was tough and this one will be too. We’ve just had two defeats in a row, so we would have to improve. Pari NN swipe points from us occasionally, but we will try to do our best. The main aim is to win, and I think the coaching staff will also set this as an objective for us.”