Possibly the most important match of the season is ahead of us. How are your preparations going and is everyone available for this important game?
Things are as usual, there have been no changes and we are preparing for this very important match. The league is very interesting with three teams vying for title. We can see that all three sides have a chance of winning the league, with varying degrees. Our task is to win our game, and this is the most important thing we can focus on as nothing else depends on us.
Regarding the condition of the players, Douglas Santos is a doubt, and the same goes for Andrey Mostovoy and Artur, but there is still time and everyone has the chance to play, but let’s see how these players are and if they can play in this match.
What plans do Zenit have for next season and the club’s anniversary year?
I can’t say anything about next season yet. I think there will be a meeting next week where we will discuss our plans for next season.
Will you be monitoring the Krasnodar v Dynamo game or will you only concentrate on your match and try not to get distracted?
I will concentrate on our match and try not to get distracted. We have to focus on only one thing.
Many are saying that Rostov have nothing to play for and their season is pretty much over. As a professional and a person who has been in the game for many years, think that this is true? What do you expect from Rostov?
What a great expression “many people say” ... This doesn’t mean anything. I think that Valery Karpin and his Rostov team approach every game with one mindset, and that’s to win. They are an attacking team who work hard on the football pitch, they press their opponents and are an interesting team to face because most other sides play a different way. Most of our opponents come to St. Petersburg and try to defend deep and look to counterattack or utilise set pieces, but Rostov are a team that play its own football. I think we’re looking at a very interesting and difficult match, like every game we play.
Matvey Safonov has been linked with PSG, and as someone who has played in Paris, what advice can you give to Matvey if this information turns out to be true?
I think that’s a very good opportunity for Matvey, he’s not afraid of competition and this is of course, a step up. It’s not often our players get the chance to play for a European giant so it’s very good news and I hope it works out for him and he gets to test himself at one of the best European clubs. This is a huge plus for our football and for him.
I would like to clarify, you’ve said you will concentrate on your match, is it important to protect your players from this unnecessary information? Or should they know how their competitors are doing during a match?
I don’t know how possible that is, I’ll need to think about that. We have one job, we have to win. The match in Krasnodar should not influence our job in any way. So we need to concentrate on ourselves and our match.
The club Chairman has said you’ll sign a new contract on the day of the game with Rostov, on the date of Zenit’s 99th anniversary. Is that right or will you sign it later?
I don't know yet. I’m concentrating only on preparing for the match. Everything regarding the contract and our future plans will be postponed until later. Now we are concentrating exclusively on the match.