Tomorrow, on August 17, the first Champions League play-off match between Dynamo Kyiv and Benfica Lisbon will take place. On Tuesday in Lodz, the head coach of the Ukrainian team Mircea Lucescu gave a pre-match press conference.
Mircea Lucescu- How can you evaluate Benfica striker Roman Yaremchuk, who used to play for Dynamo?
- Yaremchuk is a very good forward. I think this is an important player for both Benfica and the Ukrainian national team.
- Dynamo has already done the impossible in qualifying - knocked out Fenerbahce and defeated Sturm in extra time. Has the mental level of your team grown?
— You can't compare these matches and our situation. Benfica has an excellent infrastructure, they have the opportunity and finances to invite high-level players. We will have to fight duels with them. Now Dynamo does not have the opportunity to make transfers, we do not play at home. The team trains on the same field with the children, the players live in a hotel without their families.
However, despite these difficulties, Dynamo achieved very good results in the confrontations with Fenerbahce and Sturm. And we hope to continue playing in the Champions League group stage. This is important for Ukraine, and the players feel it. Many Ukrainian fans, mothers with children gather at our matches. They want to feel unity, being away from Ukraine in the status of forced refugees. We are responsible to them and will try to give them positive emotions.
Benfica are a great team. As I said, in the summer they were strengthened by fantastic young players Florentino and Neres. The quality of the squad has increased significantly, the Portuguese demonstrate very spectacular football. Benfica have more opportunities than Dynamo at the moment. However, everything is possible in football.
It is a pity that we lost Sidorchuk and Garmash for disciplinary reasons. These are the most experienced players on our team. But we will try to compensate for their absence by other performers. I expect a very difficult fight. However, we are ready for this.
— Are you proud that your players perform at such a high level in such difficult circumstances?
- Yes. No one but ourselves can feel the situation in which we find ourselves. What we go through, what conditions we work in and how hard it is to keep the team at a high level. But when the players enter the field, they turn into real professionals and give themselves completely to the cause. Therefore, I am grateful to my wards.
- Will we see defensive football from Dynamo tomorrow, given that Benfica likes to play combinational, attacking football?
- With Benfica, we cannot play attacking football. They have a lot of fast skilled players who know how to beat and create free zones. Individually, they are very strong. But football is unpredictable and that's why it's so beautiful. Before the start of the match, it is never possible to say with certainty who will emerge victorious. Benfica has an advantage in class, but Dynamo plays with their hearts.
