On Thursday, 17 August, Dynamo Kyiv will play the return match of the 3rd qualifying round of the Conference League with Greek Aris (the first meeting of the rivals ended with a 1-0 victory of the Greek team). The match is nominally a home game for Dynamo, but because of the war it will be held in Bucharest at the Rapida stadium.
A day before the game, the Romanian capital hosted a pre-match press conference of the Ukrainian team's head coach Mircea Lucescu.
Mircea Lucescu. Photo - A.Popov- How do you feel on the eve of the match at home in your almost home stadium?
- Last year we played in Poland and we had problems with logistics, travelling was more difficult. This year we decided to shorten the journey. It was easier to get to Chisinau, and then we only had to fly to Bucharest.
Well, of course, I am happy to be back home, to bring my team to Bucharest. I came here with almost all my teams. I am glad to come here with Dinamo.
We hope that the audience will come and support us, we need this support. A week ago not only the opposing team played against us, but also the stands, which did not always follow the principles of fair-play.
- Are you expecting the support of the Rapid fans at tomorrow's match?
- I was at the match "Rapid" a few days ago, I was as a fan. And I expected that with a good result, Rapid fans will come to our match. But their team, unfortunately, lost, and to a principled opponent. They will now take a few days to recover from this defeat. I think there will be few of them at the stadium tomorrow. To a greater extent, I count on the support of Ukrainians, who now live in Bucharest.
- Do you feel pressure from the club management?
- You, the press, always want to be ahead of the locomotive, you like to ask questions that are convenient for you. But you don`t know a lot of things, you don`t know what my contract is, what agreements I have with the club president.
Yes, there is pressure, of course. But we should not forget that our team has a lot of pupils in the squad, almost without foreigners. Our youngsters need to adapt, to gain experience, and this happens only through matches. We are ready for pressure. In any conditions we are preparing for the upcoming matches.
And, by the way, take the example of another Greek team - Panathinaikos, which passed Marseille in the Champions League qualification. There are almost no Greeks in this team. But there are players with a lot of international experience from different countries. We need to be very organised and play with a lot of enthusiasm. Then we will be better than teams with more experienced players.
Continuing with this topic, I would like everyone to understand what it costs to support football in war conditions. It is very difficult to play with empty stands, without fans, the players need to look for these missing emotions. Just before leaving for Thessaloniki, one of our players asked to go home to bury his brother, who died in the war. It's very difficult. And you have to somehow demand dedication from him. Footballers deserve special respect for what they do in this difficult time. Yes, many Ukrainians are at the front, but they watch our performances from there, it makes the guys work with double energy. But everyone has pain and loss in their hearts. It is difficult to adjust the players in such conditions.
- What is the personnel situation in the team? Is everyone healthy and ready to play?
- Everyone is ready, except for Popov, he has an injury, and most likely he won`t play tomorrow.
- If Dynamo qualify for the next round, will the match with Chornomorets in Odessa be held this Sunday or is there an option to postpone it?
- There are no such options. Because there are no more free dates. On Friday morning we train here, then we go to Chisinau, and from there - to Odessa.
Apart from Mircea Lucescu, Dynamo midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko also took part in the press conference. The report about his communication with journalists >>>.
Alexander POPOV from Bucharest
