Kryvbas midfielder Yuriy Vakulko commented forUVon the draw for the second qualifying round of the Champions League, in which Dynamo Kyiv will play against Partizan Belgrade, for whom he once played.
Yuriy Vakulko- Yuriy, how do you assess the draw for Dynamo?
- I believe that Partizan is a worthy opponent of the Champions League level. It could have been worse(another opponent could have been Swiss Lugano - ed.).
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of Kyiv's opponent, and how can Dynamo get past Partizan?
- The strengths are the fans and their support. Weaknesses are the instability of the squad, because every six months the team changes, many legionnaires come. I think that in this transfer window they will recruit a lot of newcomers who have not played with each other. This can be a disadvantage.
- What do you remember from your time with Partizan?
- It's a team with a great history and good fans. There was constant pressure from people to win the championship. The task was to win every match, so there was some pressure. I also remember the good people at the club. Everything was fine, but I was young and not ready for such pressure and such a level.
- Do Serbs have specific character traits or mentality?
- They are ordinary people, just like us. They like to sit in cafes all day and drink coffee. If you come to Serbia and just walk the streets, you won't realize that you are in another country. People have a similar mentality to ours.
- Should we expect any political provocations in Belgrade?
- Anything can happen. Dinamo has experienced provocations even in Turkey. No matter how they say it, I think that in Serbia, society is divided 50-50 in terms of support for Ukraine. All my friends who are there say that the majority of people are in favor of Ukraine, despite the way it is presented in the news. Most of them are normal, adequate people.
- But specifically the Partizan management, employees, and fans , are they pro-Russian?
- I don't know, especially at that time we didn't discuss such topics.
- What is your forecast for this confrontation?
- Much depends on how Dynamo approaches these matches, in what condition the national team players will return. I believe that Dynamo should be able to play a team of Partizan's level.
Ihor Lysenko
