Ali Aliyev: ''Players are ready to do everything to achieve a positive result''

- Greetings everyone! The team is preparing for the game. We have carried out the planned preparation and today we will have the final training session. We will practise some moments and I think that physically and mentally the team is ready for the upcoming game. Georgy Zhukov got a small injury. We are waiting for the last medical examination to understand if he is reasdy for tomorrow's game. All the other guys are ready to do everything on the field to achieve a positive result.

- In the match against Belarus, the team played on a natural turf. Tomorrow the match will be played on artificial turf. Will it not be a problem for the team?

- Definitely, everything affects, especially the factor of changing the turf. In Belarus, the surface was heavy because of the rain, which took place before the game. Even the kick-off was postponed due to the weather conditions.

The game will show how much the change of turf will affect. The main thing is that ''Astana Arena'' is our home stadium. We have had two training sessions, I think that the players' muscles are adapting and there shouldn't be any problems. I hope this factor will not be the most important.

- What changes in the squad are planned compared to the friendly game in Belarus?

- Friendly games are friendly games to give the players, who get little practice, a chance to prove themselves. Friendliers are one of the stages of preparation. Maxim can confirm that the game against Belarus was planned and everyone knew and understood who could play and how much time. We had to try our youth Zhagorov and Zhumakhanov. It is in friendly games that players are introduced into the system of the national team. Players who will take the field tomorrow, received time in Belarus and before the game we will assess the mental and physical condition of players, after which we will decide who will take the field at the ''Astana Arena'' tomorrow.

- Did you watch North Macedonia's game against Belgium? What would you say about the opponent?

- Of course we did. We watched all the games of the opponent in the qualification. We made an analysis and showed it to the players. North Macedonia is an unyielding team, which has strong players who play in the best clubs and the strongest European championships.

A very good and qualified team. In the games against Wales and Belgium they showed character and equalised at the end of the matches. The team is not easy, they have their own style, but I believe in our guys.

- Would you comment on the information that Stat Pokatilov left the national team?

- As for the goalkeeper issue, we have a goalkeeper coach Oleg Igorevich Voskoboynikov. We are in constant contact with him, he calls almost all Kazakhstani goalkeepers playing in the championship of Kazakhstan.

On Pokatilov, we planned in advance who will play with Belarus, and who with North Macedonia. The guys knew everything in advance and the guys have no offence and surprises. There was an agreement with Stas, he took the situation normally, so don't look for any reasons. We have no secrets from the players, and they have no secrets from us.

- You called up Marat Bystrov to the team, Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov trains with the team, but Ramazan Orazov was not called up. What is the reason?

- Before announcing the final list of the national team, I called Ramazan Orazov and explained the situation. I said that he had no game practice in the club. We called him up for the matches against Wales and Liechtenstein, despite the lack of game practice. After the match against Liechtenstein, I told him that his strengths were pressing, fitness and aggression. When he doesn't have a game tone, he can't be competitive. We have no secrets from Ramazan. We agreed that as soon as Orazov starts playing regularly, he will be called up to the national team regularly again.

We called him up for the matches against Wales and Liechtenstein, despite the lack of game practice. In the match against Liechtenstein, he came on the pitch and showed what he is capable of in the absence of constant game practice. I called Ramazan after that game and told him that his strengths are pressing, fitness and aggression. When he doesn't have a game tone, he can't be competitive. We have no secrets from Ramazan. We agreed that as soon as Orazov starts playing regularly, he will be called up to the national team regularly again.

On Zainutdninov - we called with the medical staff of ''Besiktas'', they asked that Baktiyor not to train and not to participate in games, which was also confirmed by letters from the club to the Federation. After that, the player himself asked to fly to Astana so that the national team doctor could examine him and assess his condition. He arrived, he was examined by the doctors and physical training coaches, after which he received permission for small training sessions without sprints, jerks and without full load. Zainutdinov is with us, but he is in the team location to support the players, influence the atmosphere and support his partners.