"CSKA's strong point is its center"

On Saturday, the Russian Football Championship will host the Moscow derby of the two leaders — the second-placed Lokomotiv will host CSKA Moscow, which is one point ahead of its upcoming opponent. The game will take place as part of the 12th round, the first after the pause for the national team games. For both teams, a considerable part of the players went to the Russian national team. CSKA had defenders Igor Diveev and Danil Krugovoy, midfielders Matvey Kislyak and Ivan Oblyakov, defenders Alexander Silyanov, midfielders Alexei Batrakov, Dmitry Barinov, Zelimkhan Bakaev and striker Dmitry Vorobyov from Loko.

Alexander Silyanov played in two matches for the national team — he had a full meeting with Iran (2:1) and came out in the second half against Bolivia (3:0). In an interview with Izvestia, the 24-year-old summed up the results of the past games for the national team and shared his expectations for the upcoming derby with CSKA.

— How would you rate the results of the last matches of the national team?

— Good results, of course. Two wins is always a positive result. We had certain shortcomings in the game, as any team has. But overall, I think we played both matches well.

— After playing against weak teams like Vietnam (4-0), Brunei (11:0), Syria (4-0), Grenada (5:0) and Zambia (5:0) last fall and spring of this year, have you got used to worthy opponents?

— No, they haven't lost the habit. In principle, we already played against Nigeria in the summer (1-1). Yes, it is clear that both she and our autumn rivals are at a 100% higher level than those you have listed. But we are still playing in the national championship at a good level. Matches for clubs allow you to prepare well for such national teams as Iran, Bolivia, Jordan, Qatar and Nigeria. It is clear that these are not top teams like France. And it might have been harder to prepare for it through the RPL matches. But we can play confidently against teams of the level of Iran and Jordan. And even more so with Bolivia.

— In terms of speed and intensity, which of the RPL clubs are these teams comparable to?

— Iran and Jordan are closer to the top five of the Russian Premier League in terms of the game they played against us. Fifth or sixth place.

— The starting line—up for the match with Iran was the Rostov line of defense - you, Maxim Osipenko, Viktor Melekhin, Ilya Vakhania played for Rostov under the leadership of Valery Karpin. Even if you and Vakhania didn't cross paths there, does familiarity with the general requirements of the head coach of the national team contribute to mutual understanding?

— I can't say that I felt it right on the field during the game. But the fact that I played with Osipenko for several matches for the national team affected me. I'm comfortable playing with him. And I like going out on the field with him. And there was no feeling of the "Rostov" line of defense during the match with Iran.

— What do you expect from the national team's November matches against Peru and Chile?

— It seems to me that the level will be about the same as that of Bolivia. Or a little higher.

— What do you expect from the upcoming derby of the two leaders of the RPL against CSKA?

— The coach will tell us everything. But we will fight and try to win.

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— What is the strength of this CSKA?

— His strong point is the center. Kislyak, Oblyak (Ivan Oblyakov. — Izvestia) in midfield. Well, Divey (Igor Diveyev. — Izvestia), which finds them being transmitted from the defense center. The central part is the coolest.

— Can you call the upcoming match a key one in the fight for the RPL gold?

"I don't think so. Probably not. After all, there are a lot of clubs competing for gold right now. And there are a lot of tours ahead. Anything can happen during this time.

— Do you feel that Lokomotiv is capable of competing for gold in the long run and will not repeat last season, when you were in the lead in the first round, but fell to sixth place in the second?

"I don't know either. Because it's hard to make up your mind. Last season, we also thought that we were at the top and it was important not to stumble, but we stumbled anyway. Of course, I hope it won't be like that this season, but only time will tell.

— What should help to avoid a spring failure in this championship?

— Probably, the main thing is that we do not relax in games with rivals who are at the bottom of the table. We try to play to the maximum with everyone.

— How hard is it for the defense of Lokomotiv right now, such matches as the last one against Dynamo (5-3), when they won, but conceded three goals and could have conceded more if not for the fantastic saves of your goalkeeper Anton Mitryushkin?

— If we had so many chances at our goal, it means that we have something to add to the game defensively. But I believe and hope that we will add soon so that Anton won't have to save us like that (smiles). In principle, we are playing well, but the opponents are still creating chances at our gates.