The Russian national football team on Thursday, March 23, will hold a friendly match with the iranian team. 25 players went to Tehran the day before, and on Wednesday the team held a training session at the Azadi Stadium, the country's largest arena with a capacity of more than 78,<> spectators.

Fans came to see the players: about 100 people from the Russian Embassy. In total, according to Sport-Express, 615 Russian spectators will come to the stands to support the national team.

All the athletes who came to Tehran took part in the arena. As the head coach Valery Karpin noted, the flight passed without any problems.

"Normal way. For us, for Rostov, it is a fairy tale. Four hours by plane and only an hour and a half by bus. We fly for four hours and then go for six or eight, so for us everything went great, "the specialist said. "We saw only darkness," he joked, answering a clarifying question from journalists, what he managed to see on the evening of the 21st.

First of all, of course, everyone was worried about which of the players of the Russian national team would take the field from the first minutes and be the captain, but Karpin did not disclose his secrets.

"I don't know who's going to play tomorrow. For myself, I have decided, but maybe someone will get sick or something else. Let's hope that doesn't happen. Tomorrow you will see," the coach said.

According to him, after the meeting with Iran, changes in the squad are possible, since the team has already lost four athletes due to injuries.

"Our best players – Alexander Golovin, Georgy Djikia and Alexey Miranchuk – were injured. There was a viral disease in Artem Makarchuk. So the four players we were hoping for won't take part in the match. Are we going to call someone out? Let's see the status. How do we end the game with Iran. God forbid there will be some surprises and troubles with injuries, let's see how the guys will feel. We will decide on the situation," the coach of the Russian national team explained.

Karpin also shared his impressions of the newcomers - Ural goalkeeper Ilya Pomazun, Spartak midfielders Daniil Denisov and Danil Prutsev.

"I talked to almost all the players. As for beginners, the conversation is pleasant. In the game, we'll see... In recent years, this will be our strongest rival. Iran is the best team in Asia by a wide margin. Therefore, we expect an interesting match... Without any doubt, meetings with teams like Iran are useful, necessary and necessary even," the coach added.

According to the expert, he is well acquainted with the composition of the Iranian national team. Moreover, some players have previously played in the RPL and this time they can also take the field.

"Azmoun and Ezotollahi have proven themselves in Russia from the best side. We know a lot of people. They are players of a very good level," valery Georgievich said.

Alas, former Zenit player Serdar Azmoun will not take part in the friendly match. As explained in the press service of the Iranian team, the reason is the personal circumstances of the football player, which they do not have the right to disclose.

At the same time, the state of the Azadi stadium caused some concern among journalists. In the arena, the roof was leaking after the rain. In addition, several stands are currently under reconstruction, tickets for the upper tiers are not sold. However, according to Karpin, everything is fine with the lawn in Tehran, unlike the field in Bishkek, which the specialist strongly criticized the day before.

"On the surface, everything seems to be fine. We'll see how it goes with the ball. Especially today it rained almost all day, so it is at least not hard. I think the ball should roll," the specialist said.

At the same time, it is not yet known how many spectators will gather for the match. According to Sport24, about 30 thousand people will come to the stands. However, Match TV calls a different figure - only 10 thousand, since in Iran on this day there will be a holiday.

"Full stands naturally matter! Of course, it will be nice to play if a lot of fans come," Karpin admitted.

As for the possible transfer of the national team to the Asian Conference, this question remains open. According to Karpin, no final decision has been made.

"There was talk about it, but so far we do not have any information on this matter. It is clear that it is better to play than not to play anywhere, but so far there is no decision, "the coach summed up.

As they say in the RFU, the priority remains the option of returning the Russian team to European tournaments, but in parallel all options are being considered. At the moment, Asian countries are ready to play on the same field with the national team and even invite you to the first championship of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). Whether to take part in it or not is also an open question.