Ilya Kovalchuk: "We will try and catch CSKA up"

- We congratulate you with the birth of your daughter! If it's not a secret, what is her name, and how does your wife feel?

- Thank you. Everything is fine, and we called her Eva. It all went well, thank God.

- Do you believe in the supernatural?

- Not really, although I am superstitious.

- SKA has lost in Nizhny Novgorod for four seasons in a row. Has this got anything to do with mysticism?

- No. Torpedo have a good team, and at home they always play well. We need to prepare correctly. In Riga we also hadn't played overly successfully, but we managed to win there. We'll break this tradition.

- It was a comfortable win for SKA against Torpedo in Saint Petersburg. Have you studied the opponents?

- As I said, Torpedo play more aggressively at home, they come out of the blocks hard. We'll have a look at the video, and after the coaches have told us what to do, we will go out with full commitment. Not long ago we were going through a really bad run of form, and we have turned it around with every player giving everything, and playing exactly as we should. If we will keep doing the same, everything will be fine.

- Can we say, that the same, confident team that started the season has now returned?

- I wouldn't say that. We started the season well, and we're just doing that again now. The main thing is to move into the play-offs with an optimal physical and mental state, as the play-offs decide everything. Preparation for those games has already begun, and the players are feeling fresh again.

- As SKA have already qualified for the play-offs, are you going to start picking opponents for yourselves?

- No, we don't have a choice who we play with. CSKA are five points ahead of us, and we are going to try and catch them up.

- Is this game against Torpedo a practice run before facing CSKA on Thursday?

- This is a match with Torpedo. I once again repeat that they are a very good team, especially at home. They need the points as they are fighting for a play-off spot, and they will be pumped up.