Nikolic: Was forced to make changes to the team

Lokomotiv head coach Marko Nikolic reflected on the defeat to Salzburg (1:3) in the Gameweek 5 of the Champions League group stage.

- Unfortunate result. Nothing worked out in the first half. We made three substitutions during the break and the team fought in the second half. We did everything to return to the game, but conceded a goal a minute after we scored. We need to support the team and prepare for the next game.

- Krychowiak and Kulikov could not play, Miranchuk remained on the bench. What were you guided by when choosing a squad?

- We had a lot of losses in the midfield. Miranchuk practically did not train after Madrid. We got bad news the day before the match. Bad situation. You need to think about the next game. Magkeev is suspended for Rubin. We need to think about how to build a game against Rubin and Bayern.

- What was the tactical plan of the squad that came out in the first half?

- We received information about the health of our players before the match. It was necessary to make changes to the team. There were problems in the midfield. We tried to bring three forwards to play through them. But in the first half, nothing worked out. Salzburg won every second episode. We had moments, but it is obvious that the situation was developing unsuccessfully. In the second half, we showed character, started to take more risks. We scored a goal and felt that it was possible to score the second one, but conceded immediately. The match ended on this.

- Do you have an understanding of what happened to Ze Luis?

- Not yet. We'll find out tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope nothing serious. Another loss of an important player is not good for us.