Q: Nasaf have finished third in the league six times in the past eight years and came second twice. What is missing for the team to be able to compete with the likes of Pakhtakor, Bunyodkor and Lokomotiv?
First of all, I have to say that Pakhtakor, Bunyodkor and Lokomotiv are capital clubs, and many talented players in Uzbekistan want to play in Tashkent; I think that is normal in football. Secondly, we are not as rich as Pakhtakor, Bunyodkor or Lokomotiv, that is why we focus on our players.
Q: You have been at the club for 20 years as a player, then coach and head coach. How do you see the progress at Nasaf?
After winning the AFC Cup in 2011, the structure and the philosophy of the club has changed. We focused on bringing up our young players. Now in our city, Qarshi, the Nasaf football academy has been working for seven years, and four of our players played in the recent AFC U23 Championship which Uzbekistan won. Of course, it gives a great pleasure to see this.
Q: Speaking of Nasaf’s 2011 AFC Cup win, you have since been playing in AFC Champions League for past seven years, how different are the two competitions?
As you know. in the AFC Champions League, we always face big clubs and it is the strongest tournament for Asian clubs. There are no transient games in the AFC Champions League, And I think it’s hard to compare these two competitions because they are at different levels, but I can admit that the AFC Cup is progressing year by year.
Q: You go into the group stage for the 2018 AFC Champions League, how are your preparations?
After beating Al Faisaly in the play-off, we gave some rest to the players, then we started preparations again on February 5. All the players are well, and nobody is injured; I'm happy with that.
Q: How important is the first match against Persepolis for you?
We accomplished our first mission, which was qualifying to the group stage and we are happy that after a year's break, we are back in the Champions League.
I can say that this one of the toughest groups; Persepolis are one of the strongest clubs in Asia. They are top of the Iran Pro League and they play a disciplined style of football. Of course, the first match is always important; in 2012 we played against Esteghlal in Azadi stadium and it ended 0-0. We will try to do our best again in that stadium.
Q: How do you see your Champions League group? Which team is your toughest opponent?
Any team can be favourite in our group. Beside Persepolis, we have to play against Al Wasl from UAE and Al Sadd from Qatar. Everybody knows that Xavi is playing in Al Sadd and he is very dangerous. We watched them play and I can say that they like to control the ball. They are currently second in the Qatar Stars League and it means Al Sadd are stronger than before.
Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about Al Wasl but we know that they have foreign players who can make a difference in any game.
Q: Finally, which of your own players can show themselves in this competition?
For me the team is the most important thing, but in modern football we see that individually strong players are making the game. I hope in our team players like club captain Dragan Ceran, Islom Kenjaboev, Jasur Khasanov, Bobir Abdukholikov and Aziz Ganiev can show themselves in Champions League games.
