Dauren Nurgozhin: “The Croatians have become stronger than at Euro 2016”

- Dauren, what can you tell about the current season of the championship?

- The championship is in full swing. There is competition between the first five teams. Each team actually can get the points. Recently, there was an interesting match between 'Ayat' and 'Zhetysu'. The Taldykorgan players are in the top of the standings, but they lost both matches, moreover, they failed to score.

- Which match was the most tough?

- All matches in the championship are hard. I remember the match against 'Aktobe'. Victory went hard.

- What is your opinion about the Croatian team?

- We have already played with them at the European Championships in 2016, which was held in Serbia. The Croatians are strong rivals. Now they have become even stronger. Then they had a young team squad. Now the main players of this team are playing in the championships of Italy and Spain.

- We know that in 2020 World Cup qualifying tournament, we will play against the Romanians. How difficult will be play away?

- The Romania national team plays very well, especially at home. They have an experienced team. We played with them four years ago. But now the romanian squad has rejuvenated.

- What do you expect from the UEFA Champions League Final Four?

- This big tournament will once again be held in Almaty. It is very nice for all Kazakhstanis. I think there will be a lot of people willing to watch these games. All the teams that will arrive in Almaty, are approximately at the same level. We will fight in native walls!

Recall that the friendly matches between the national teams of Kazakhstan and Croatia will take place on February 1-2, at the Palace of Sports and in the Zenit Hall.