"We are trying to get as high as possible in the RPL table"

Rubin Kazan played three matches in the spring part of the current Russian Football Championship. First, he lost away to Dynamo Makhachkala (1:2), who were fighting for survival in the RPL, and then won at home against two contenders for the championship — the leading Krasnodar (2:1) and the third Moscow Lokomotiv (2:1). The Kazan club itself is in ninth place in the championship nine rounds before the finish, 12 points behind the third.

He changed his head coach in the winter. Rashid Rakhimov, who held this position for two and a half years, was replaced by Spaniard Frank Artiga, known for his work in the RPL with Khimki. In an interview with Izvestia, Rubin defender Egor Teslenko explained why you shouldn't pay attention to the defeat in Makhachkala and why you can play football in Kazan when it's cold, and also estimated the chances of getting to third place.

— What emotions do you feel from two wins over clubs from the top three of the RPL?

— Great emotions. It's great that we beat the two leaders. It is a pleasure to win against both the reigning champion Krasnodar and the aspiring leader Lokomotiv. The last of these matches was especially successful. A big score of 3-0 is a very convincing victory. It was a pleasure to please our fans who came to the stadium. Thank you to them for being at the match and supporting us.

— You won two matches against the leaders of the Russian Premier League, but at the same time you lost to Dynamo Makhachkala, which is fighting for survival. What do you need to do to beat not only the top clubs, but also rivals from the bottom of the table?

— We will try to beat everyone. And the match that took place in Makhachkala, I think, should not be taken into account, because the weather conditions were not in favor of football. And it was impossible to play there at all.

— But didn't the weather conditions in Kazan during the match with Krasnodar create the opposite situation? Did the cold, when the temperature was just above -15 degrees, not already give the advantage to Rubin?

— The weather conditions in Kazan were difficult. It was cold, but it was cold for both teams. But the pitch was of good quality — you could safely play football.

"I am very happy in Kazan and I want to stay"

Rubin football player Konstantin Nizhegorodov — about victories over the leaders in the Russian Premier League, a new head coach and a new contract with the club

— What tasks will Rubin be trying to solve, given that you have already secured yourself from the struggle for survival and it will be difficult to compete for medals?

— Let's see how it goes from here. No comments yet.

— Is there any hope of catching up with the top three and trying to win medals?

"I don't think so.

— Is it important to finish the championship higher than Spartak Moscow and Dynamo, your neighbors in the middle of the standings?

— We go from game to game and try to get as high as possible in the table. We will try to win every next match, and then we will see where we finish the championship.

— Can you explain what new requirements Frank Artiga has brought to the team?

— A new coach always brings new demands. We are fulfilling them — so far it is working. The requirements are different from those that were before, but I would not like to talk in detail yet.

— But with the game that Artiga is putting on, will it be possible to qualify for something serious in the RPL next season?

— Let's see what the tasks will be.