As such, the Champions Cup of the CIS and Baltic countries has no place in his plans for next year.

The tournament, featuring the republics that formed after the breakdown of the Soviet Union, is being held in January on an indoor surface.

“I believe that due to the fact that we have to play in the AFC Champion League in February, and the CIS Cup is on an indoor artificial surface, it can hurt our players,” Scolari said.

“For us, a systematic preparation for the new season is very important. The CIS Cup has a strong tradition but for us to achieve our goals, we need to prepare properly.”

The CIS Cup was first played in 1993 with Spartak Moscow winning the first of their six titles.

Uzbekistan has only one title when Pakhtakor won the 2007 edition. Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol are the defending champions.