On Thursday, a solemn event dedicated to Euro 2020 took place at the St. Petersburg stadium.

There are exactly 50 days left before the start of the tournament in the Northern Capital - on June 12, the Russian national team will take over Finland here.

The event was attended by ex-captain of the Russian national team Andrei Arshavin, famous actor Konstantin Khabensky and soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Vasily Gerello.

Among other things, they had a responsible task - to complete an exact replica of the arena, assembled from the Lego construction set.

All the guests had to do was insert toy flagpoles with banners of countries, whose teams will very soon arrive in Russia for the continental championship.

In particular, Arshavin got the Danish flag.

But the former Zenit and Arsenal footballer admitted that he took part in the assembly of the layout at the initial stage.

- I have collected several details here.

This is more a merit of the Zenit team born in 2004, which, I hope, will one of these days become the champion of Russia.

And since I have little to do with her, I was so honored.

It seems that the arena from the constructor turned out to be very similar to the real one.

It looks even brighter and lighter.

In life, everything is different: gray sky, rain ...

- The other day it was 12 years since you scored four goals to Liverpool.

What emotions have you kept in memory of that wonderful game?

- Honestly, if it hadn't been for social networks, I wouldn't have thought of poker.

Now if I don't think about him, then no emotions arise.

Maybe someday I'll get to Anfield, go out on the pitch and then I can describe to you my feelings.

- 50 days left before the start of Euro 2020 in St. Petersburg.

What result can the Russian national team show at the upcoming continental championship?

- I think the prospects are good.

Moreover, not two teams leave the group, as it was in my time.

Plus, we will play two matches in St. Petersburg.

This is a huge advantage, despite the fact that here Stanislav Cherchesov's charges will host, among other things, one of the main favorites of the tournament - Belgium.

If we manage to reach the 1/8 finals, the fans will already be satisfied.

And if we succeed in the playoffs, everyone will be very, very happy, like at the 2018 World Cup.

Unfortunately, the key game for the national team at the group stage with Denmark will take place not in St. Petersburg, but on the territory of the opponent, in Copenhagen.

But, again, it seems to me that the Russian national team is perfectly ready and will show a good result.

  • Arshavin on the prospects of the Russian national team at Euro 2020

- How important is the factor of home stands for Cherchesov's charges?

- The 2018 World Cup showed that the support of the stands is especially important for our team.

The atmosphere that was during the home world championship is unforgettable.

I hope this will, perhaps, be repeated on a somewhat smaller scale in St. Petersburg.

Of course, the fans should help a lot and influence the result.

I think it will be successful.

- Who will you call the main favorites of the tournament besides Belgium?

- Of course, France.

Still, tricolors are the reigning world champions.

I think they liked everything in Russia too and they want to consolidate this success at Wembley, where the final meeting will take place.

- UEFA is considering the possibility of transferring some of the Euro 2020 games to St. Petersburg.

What do you think about this?

- The organizers are responsible for this.

But, as I see it, our city was ready for the European Championship a year ago.

It will not be difficult to hold additional matches.

In addition, the stands will be allowed to fill up to half.

For the remaining 50 days, the situation may even change for the better.

I think UEFA is interested in the matches being played with spectators, especially in such a beautiful city.

If the opportunity arises, St. Petersburg will surely take advantage of it and accept meetings that cannot be organized elsewhere.

  • Arshavin on St. Petersburg's readiness to host additional matches of Euro 2020

- Zenit is already providing fans with the opportunity to get vaccinated against coronavirus on match days.

Is this a good way for the Euro host countries to get back to normal?

- If you look at the rhythm of life in Moscow and St. Petersburg, by and large, you will not find any differences from what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

It seems to me that life in Russia is gradually returning to normal.

This is partly due to vaccination.

“Zenith” can only be praised for having organized such an action for their fans.

The more people get vaccinated, the less room for coronavirus to spread.

This is another advantage of our country and our city in the fight for the right to host additional Euro 2020 games.

- You are a native of St. Petersburg: you were born here, grew up and played for Zenit for many years.

What does it mean for local fans to witness world-class matches with their own eyes?

- When I played for Zenit, we didn't even think that we would have such a super-modern stadium. There was no thought that St. Petersburg would host the matches of the world championship, and in a few years - the championship of the continent. This is a great event for both the city and the fans. Everyone is looking forward to the start of the tournament and are ready to make any foreign fans as comfortable as possible.