Alexander Panov / Photo: © Personal archive of Alexander Panov
Ex-forward of “Zenith” Alexander Panov considers the St. Petersburg club a favorite in the match for the Russian Super Cup with “Spartak”.
The meeting will be held at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, which caused a negative reaction from Spartak. The Red-Whites considered a possible boycott of the game, but in the end they abandoned this option.
– Does the fact that the match will be held in St. Petersburg violate the principle of sports?
– This decision was made by the leaders of the RFU. In general, on the part of the athlete, it should not matter where the match is held. St. Petersburg is not the worst option. There will be a lot of excitement, a lot of people. For Petersburgers, Spartak has always been an irritant. In recent years, of course, a little less, because Zenit always smashes Spartak in St. Petersburg. This is one of the prerequisites that negatively affects this match. On the other hand, they are professionals. You need to be able to play everywhere, and on the opponent’s field too. I don’t see any problems in holding the match in St. Petersburg. If the team feels confident, they can beat anyone.
– Spartak’s coach has changed, while Zenit’s is stable. What do you expect from the match?
– That’s the difference between the clubs. For some, everything is stable, for others – again again. Of course, Zenit is the favorite in this match. They have a stable line-up, one coach for several years. The players have confidence that they will win. Spartak again has a new coach, new players. Zhigo left, which is important. There is an imbalance in the team. It is not yet clear how she will perform.
Winning the Cup and the Super Cup would be a good achievement for Spartak in the year of the centenary, as well as a good start to the season. A victory over Zenit would give Spartak confidence for the season.
– That is, for Spartak, winning the Super Bowl is more important than for Zenit?
— To some extent, yes. When you win all the time, the victories do not seem so bright, they turn into everyday life. Many are accustomed to the victories of “Zenith”. And for Abascal, winning the Super Bowl would be very important.
The match “Zenith” – “Spartak” will be held on July 9 at 19:00 Moscow time. “Match TV” will show the meeting live.
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