It’s a Cup match on Wednesday with not much time between games, but who is available and who’s out?
Now we have basically just one day to decide who will fly tomorrow and who needs a rest. Wendel will definitely not travel and he’s been looked at to see how long he’ll be out for and to know the exact nature of his injury. Nuraly Alip is back in full training, but is not ready for this match. Other players with minor knocks, we’ll see about later. Everyone else is currently available.
Zenit have already played Rubin this season in the league, although we all know the Cup is a different story. How different will the starting lineups and this match be?
The whole philosophy of the match will change, Rubin too play one team in the league and another in the Cup. Managers have the chance to experiment in the Cup and so the starting lineups can be absolutely anything. The league is one tournament and the Cup is another, so can see completely different teams. You must not assume anything here, and both team want the win, and everyone goes into Cup matches looking for the win.
Can you give us any more on the nature of Wendel's injury? Was it caused by a tackle and is it a muscle injury or not?
It was caused by a tackle that happened during the match, a pretty bad foul. It is not a muscle injury. The extent of the ligament damage is being determined and the medical staff are working on diagnosing it.
Before the Fakel Cup match you only had two days, and now you have three. How important is that extra day?
It is important of course. It we really require certain players it gives them an extra day to recover and play, but there are many factors at play here, the overall team's condition, some individual issues and minor niggles. It is always better to play it safe.