Egor Evstafiev: "Looking forward to joining the first team for preseason"
Zenit forward Egor Evstafiev spoke to the club’s media ahead of the start of the 2026/27 season, sharing his expectations for preseason with the first team, his goals for the upcoming campaign, and the playing experience he gained over the summer. Today, August 5, the Blue-White-Sky Blues players underwent in-depth medical examination.
— Egor, you’re about to begin preseason with the first team. How are you feeling? After all, this is a completely new experience for you.
— I’m really looking forward to it because, as you said, it’s something completely new for me. I don’t know what to expect, and I don’t know anyone apart from Artem Antipov and Pasha Zemskiy. It’s all unfamiliar territory for me.
— What does the opportunity to work under such an experienced coach as Duško Ivanović mean to you?
— It’s an incredible opportunity, honestly. My first coach, Ilya Andreyevich Brazhnikov, used to tell me a lot about him around ten years ago. It’s amazing to think that back then I had only heard about him and watched him on TV, and now I actually have the chance to work with him.
— What personal goals have you set for yourself for the upcoming season?
— I don’t really have any personal goals. I just want to help the team as much as I can and do everything possible to contribute.
— Last season was a very eventful one for you: you played in the Super League and won the youth championship with Zenit U21. Tell us, how did you spend your summer?
— I spent the whole summer training. I didn’t even get the chance to go anywhere on vacation, which was a bit disappointing. But overall, everything went well. I trained, gave myself a week or a week and a half to rest, and then it was basketball all the time.
— In July, you played in the UBA Summer League. What was that experience like? What did you take away from participating in the tournament?
— It was really fun. Some of the guys I used to play with at Zenit-2 invited me to join. I agreed because it was a great opportunity to get some game practice during the offseason, and trying something new is always a good experience.
