Ruslan Baltiev: “The Azerbaijan national team is very strong”

– We played against the Azerbaijan national team two years ago - they are a very strong team. We have always had interesting games with them. Sometimes we won, sometimes our opponent won. Tomorrow we are expecting a hard match for both teams.

– Ruslan Takhirovich, now you are working as an assistant to the head coach. Do you plan to lead the team yourself in the future? Have there already been offers from Premier League clubs?

– This is a very interesting job that gives me invaluable experience. However, I need to learn and develop a lot. I’m very glad that I got to work in the Kazakhstan national team with these players. Doing this work is not so difficult, since our team consists of professionals. Our players help us a lot in many ways, not only on the field. Therefore, working in the Kazakhstan national team is a great honor for me.

– In the match against Armenia, several football players came out who had not previously played in the national team for a long time. What would you say about the match against Azerbaijan?

– All 25 players in the squad are ready to take the field at any moment. We don't have the ability to release everyone at once. Alibek Kasym plays for the FC Aktobe, which is one of the leaders of the championship. He deserves to try. According to our vision, he will have a great future.