Baku United backing themselves in Grand Finals

We caught up with Oleksandr to get his thoughts on this year’s competition and what it would mean to retain the title.

How important is it for you to reach the last four of The FA National League Grand Finals?

It was very important, as we are a club which is ambitious and we are very determined to retain the title we won last year.

You have had a positive season in both the National League and also the Super League. What would you say are the foundations that this has been built on?

Our success has been built on hard work and dedication. We are unbeaten in the league for 18 months and we hope this will continue into the final stages of this season. Our preparations mean we will reach the Grand Finals in peak form.

What do you know about your opponents?

We are familiar with all the teams we could potentially face. Manchester are current FA Futsal Cup Champions and are an excellent club. It will be Loughborough's first time at the Grand Finals and they will be looking to surprise. Oxford won the Midlands league comfortably so we know they are dangerous. Finally, Helvecia has the experience of winning the championship before and this is an important asset.

The Grand Finals has the hallmarks of being an entertaining spectacle, for someone new to Futsal what would you say are the main differences to football? And what should they look out for?

The main difference to football is it is much quicker. In Futsal everything happens faster and the difference between victory and defeat is often very close. They should expect to be entertained by lots of attacking action.

What would it mean to lift the trophy be crowned as National Champions and also secure a place in the UEFA Futsal Cup?

Last year we made history by winning the championship and it was a great feeling. It enabled us to represent England in the UEFA Futsal Cup and become the first English club to make the Main Round. We want to get that feeling again and achieve more success against Europe's elite.