The draw of the final tournament of the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship, which will be held in Ashgabat from February 26 to March 8, 2020, took place on December 6 at the Olympia Hotel. The head coach of the national team of Turkmenistan, a Croatian specialist Robert Grdović, spoke in an interview with the Turkmenportal correspondent about his impressions of the draw.

– What are your expectations from the 2020 Asian Futsal Championship?

– This is a very big event for Turkmenistan. I think that the upcoming Asian Championship with the 16 strongest teams of the continent is the best way to get acquainted with futsal for those people who were not familiar with this sport before. This championship is very important for the national team of Turkmenistan, and therefore we must work hard to prepare for it.

–  In your opinion, who is the favorite of the 2020 Asian Futsal Championship, and how do you assess the chances of the Turkmenistan national team to leave the group?

– For me, the number one favorite is the Iranian national team. But we will see the results of the championship after the games. The national team of Turkmenistan is the hostess of the championship. We will prepare to take first place in the group. I expect the guys and I to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals. The top five teams of the 2020 Asian Futsal Championship qualify for the 2020 Futsal World Cup to be held in Lithuania. Each team is good, but futsal is a sport in which luck will play an important role. Perhaps we are lucky. Everything is possible in sports.

– What can you say about the quality of the game of the Turkmen team?

– The level of the Turkmen team is slightly lower, but this is normal. We plan to train hard in the next three months. The guys should add to the skill and show a good result at the 2020 Asian Championship in Ashgabat.