Head coach of Dnipro-1 Oleksandr Kucher told us what he expects from the first leg of the match against AEK Larnaca in the 1/16 finals of the Conference League, which will take place tomorrow in Larnaca.
"In general, all the guys are feeling well, but there are some injured - Luchkevych, Purita, Adamyuk has an injury, and tomorrow morning we will see if he can play. Matarrita is also injured and will not take part in the match tomorrow.
Opponent. AEK is a team that plays very well on the domestic scene. With the exception of the last match, when we drew 1-1, AEK had either 10 or 11 wins. So the team is well-coordinated, powerful and has gained a good momentum. They have good players, although yes, there are some injured players who will not play tomorrow, but still, this is a very strong team that knows how to play football and get a positive result. We will have a very tough game tomorrow.
Of course, we understand that AEK is the favourite in this match. The opponent is on the move, their league is ongoing, while we are still on a break and have not played any official matches yet, and this game will be only the first of the year. Of course, it will be difficult for us, but we will give our best on the pitch to get a positive result for us. We understand that the confrontation does not consist of just one match, but there will be a return game. We need to play well both physically and mentally," Kucher said at the pre-match press conference.