“The Iranian national team is the strongest team we played against last year,” said Valery Karpin, coach of the Russian national football team, on the eve of the confrontation between the two teams today, Thursday, in Tehran.
Valery Karpin talked to reporters and shared his opinion about the Iranian national team, the injuries of Russian football players Golovin, Miranchuk and Jackie, and the transition to the AFC.
Valery Karpin: “Iran is a very strong country for the future, I am proud of my children”
Glamorous coach of the Russian Federation, with the help of modern and noble men of Iran, injuries to Yulovin, Miranchuk and Jikie, and stay in the AFC: https://t.co/coG0Dki56hpic.twitter.com/Pb771pXwN5
— Team Russia (@TeamRussia) March 22, 2023
The following is the speech of the coach of the Russian national team:
Question: Valery Georgievich, tell us how the team arrived, how far is it from the airport? What did you manage to see in the evening?
The answer is normal. For us, for Rostov, this is generally a fairy tale, four hours by plane and only an hour and a half by bus.
For us, it’s four hours by plane, six to eight hours by bus, so it worked out. We saw only darkness.
Q: What do you think about tomorrow’s match? What is the current situation in the Russian national team, did the injuries greatly affect?
The answer is in terms of the game, I think he will be the strongest opponent in recent years. Iran is the best team in Asia by a wide margin. So we are waiting for an interesting match. Our best players, Golovin, Dzhekiya and Miranchuk, are injured. Makkarchuk also contracted a viral illness. So the four players we were counting on will not be in the match.
Question: Now it is difficult to replace the injured. Someone will be called to Peter?
Neighborhood – Let’s see the circumstances. How to finish a match against Iran. God forbid surprises and problems with injuries, let’s see how the players will feel. We will decide according to the situation.
Q: What is the condition of the playing field? Is it better than last year?
Answer: We haven’t tried the field yet, I just took a walk. At first glance, everything seems to be in order. Let’s see how it will be with the ball. Especially since it rained almost all day, so at least it won’t be continuous. I think the ball should roll.
Question: How do you feel about the information about the imminent transition of Russia to the AFC?
Answer: We do not have such information yet. There have been reports of this, but so far we have no information on this matter. It is clear that it is better to play than not to play anywhere, but so far there is no solution to this issue.
Question: In your opinion, how useful are such friendly matches for the Russian national team?
Answer: There is no doubt that matches with such rivals as Iran are useful, necessary and even necessary.
Question: Regarding the captain’s badge: will we see everything tomorrow or can we reveal the secret already now?
Answer: I don’t know who will play tomorrow. I decided for myself, but maybe someone will get sick, or something. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen. You will see tomorrow.
Q: Will it be very important to have a large number of spectators at the stadium tomorrow?
Answer: Of course! Of course, it would be nice to play in a full stadium if a lot of fans came.
Question: Some players from Iran played in Russia, what can you say about them?
Answer: Azmun and Izzatulla have proven themselves in Russia from the best side. We know many Iranian national team players. They are very good players.
Question: During these training camps, three new faces appeared in the team. What impression did they leave?
Answer: I spoke with almost all the guys. As for the newbies, they are fun to talk to. We’ll see in the game.
It is noteworthy that tonight, Thursday, the Russian team will meet with their Iranian counterpart at the Azadi stadium in the capital of Tehran, which can accommodate more than 78,000 spectators.
Source: “rfs.ru”