- What is the condition of defender Varazdat Aroyan, who was injured in the match against Atyrau?
Yes, he did get hurt. Today he did an MRI. We are waiting for the results. The injury is not serious and we believe he will get back in 5-7 days.
- Marin Tomasov said that the team will not pass to Champions League group stage. Is it correct to make such statements before a responsible match against Dinamo?

- I think there is a problem in translation. Initially, the question was not like that. The question was about tasks. And the task is to get into one of the groups, be it the Champions League, the Europa League or the Conference League. We are playing in the Champions League now, so we should strive to get into the group stage. Nobody canceled this task.

- How do you assess the state of the team after the matches with Dinamo Tbilisi and Atyrau? Is everyone ready for tomorrow's game?

- There were certain problems in terms of the flight to Croatia. It took us 10 hours  to get there, instead of 5-6, due to a technical stop. Therefore, yesterday we decided to rest. Today we have another training session. We hope everyone will be in good condition for tomorrow's match.

- Unfortunately, it was not possible to agree on the postponement of the match with Atyrau. Moreover, there was an unsatisfactory result and refereeing, which left questions from the coaching staff and players. How much will this affect the mood of the team before tomorrow's match?

- Yes, we contacted Atyrau. We wanted to postpone this game in order to better prepare for tomorrow's match. Unfortunately, the match could not be rescheduled. It turned out to be an extra load. Of course, there were players who didn't play in Tbilisi. We are now focused on the game against Dinamo Zagreb.

- What is your plan for tomorrow? Astana already played against Dinamo in 2018, but after that a lot has changed.

– We are aware of our opponent. We know that the team is a regular participant in the group stages of European competitions. This is a very serious opponent. In our match Dinamo Zagreb is unquestionably the favorite. We will try to play well tomorrow. It is pointless to compare today's Astana with Astana in 2018. At that time, we regularly played in the group stages of European competitions. From that squad, only two players remained. Today's players only have to go through these stages.

– How will you feel if you pass to the next stage?

- Of course, it will be a huge victory for the whole country. We are striving for this result. Dinamo is a serious opponent, but everything will be decided on the field.

The general partner of FC Astana is JSC NWF Samruk Kazyna

Partner of FC Astana - CF Fund for Support of the Tourism and Sports Industry