"Ovechkin is the level of Messi and Ronaldo"

The season in Russian football is coming to a close — and so far it has been particularly successful for the reigning champion, Krasnodar. The Bulls are close to defending the title: with two rounds to go, they lead the RPL by one point ahead of Zenit. For the final victory, they need to beat Dynamo Moscow and Orenburg at home.

In parallel, Murad Musayev's team is fighting for the Russian Cup. After a goalless draw in Moscow, Krasnodar will play Dynamo in the second leg of the RPL Road final on May 7. A victory will take him to the Superfinal, where Spartak or CSKA will be the opponent on May 24. Thus, the club has a chance to make a "golden double".

In an interview with Izvestia, midfielder Eduard Spertsyan assessed the team's prospects at the end of the season, explained the reasons for leadership in the championship, spoke about Matvey Safonov's success at PSG and recalled the meeting with Alexander Ovechkin.

— How ready is Krasnodar to win both trophies?

"Ready!" We are currently leading the league and have already reached the penultimate stage of the Cup. All thoughts are now on the second meeting with Dynamo. Moreover, we will play at home, in front of our fans. I hope we will reach the Superfinal and be able to win it, as well as the two remaining matches of the championship.

— What needs to be done to achieve victory in both tournaments?

— Continue to do what we are doing now. We have a very good team that fights to the end to win every match. This is what we have seen in recent games, when in the last minutes we achieved victories over Spartak, Dynamo Makhachkala, Akron, and pulled out a draw with Baltika. It was all very difficult for us. It was also very difficult to win the championship last year, but we showed character and fought to the end. That's why we're in the lead now. We must not stop there.

— Krasnodar has a very narrow pool of football players, only 14-15 people play all the time. How is it possible, under such conditions, to claim two titles to the last?

— We have a very good, cohesive team that really wants to win all the time. All the guys are humble, so we're just doing our thing. We work, we plow on the field in every match. We support each other constantly on the field and in the locker room. Character, discipline — these things help a lot. All the guys understand what a chance the team has for trophies. We try to be better in every detail. And it helps.

— Matvey Safonov has crucial matches of the season at PSG, he can win the French championship and the Champions League. Were you surprised how he managed to break into the main squad of the strongest team in Europe since January?

— No, I knew he was capable of it. I am very happy for him. We write off sometimes, not very often, but we do, and I always wish him luck. I will be rooting for him in the decisive matches. It's going to be tough, as the recent 5-4 win against Bayern showed, but I believe in Matthew.

— In your opinion, has he finally become PSG's main goalkeeper?

— I think he has already proved that he deserves to be number one.

— When he was still sitting on the bench there under Gianluigi Donnarumma a year ago, and then the club signed Luc Chevalier, did they believe that Safonov would be at the heart of PSG for the second half of this season?

— Of course I did! He had a chance, and he took it. Matvey has been waiting for this chance for a long time. And he showed himself well. He's a great guy!

— A few months ago, you posted photos with Alexander Ovechkin on social media. Do you follow his game?

— I don't watch hockey very often, but, of course, I know who Ovechkin is. This is a true legend that glorifies Russia.

— Who in football is comparable to him in terms of greatness?

— Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Such a level. Ovechkin is a real world star, that's obvious.