Defender of Kryvbas Volodymyr Vilivald shared what he expects from today's home match of the 24th round of the Ukrainian championship against Kyiv's Dynamo.
Volodymyr Vilivald— Ahead of Kryvbas is a match against Dynamo. Is it true that playing against top teams is sometimes easier and more pleasant than against outsiders?
— Yes, I believe it is more enjoyable to play against top teams. Let's say, Dynamo is currently leading and is set on taking three points in every match to win the championship. They will attack against us and try to score, and against an attacking team, it will be easier for us to play our football and break out on counterattacks. I believe we will have our moments in the game against a team that plays open football.
However, when you play against teams from the lower part of the table, they close up and it is challenging against them. For example, our match against Inhulets — the opponent chose a very closed game model against us, and we were unable to show our best qualities, having to play positionally all the time, which is not easy.
— Have you already discussed within the team how to stop the leader of the championship, who has gained winning momentum in the last rounds?
— Of course, we have already discussed this match within the team. I think we need to come out, play our football and take points because we also have our tasks for the season. We are playing at home, where our fans always give us the necessary impulse to win. I believe the factor of our home ground should help us. It doesn't matter who it is — Dynamo, Shakhtar or someone else, we must prepare to the maximum at home.
— Personally for you, who is the key player in Dynamo's squad now and who needs the most attention on the field?
— Dynamo is currently second in the championship in goals scored, so I want to highlight the attacking line. First of all, the speedy forward Vanat, who is one of the best scorers of the season and plays for the national team. I also want to mention Yarmolenko; for me, he is a top footballer who has played in leading European championships. Even though he is 35 years old, this does not prevent him from showing very high-quality football. Additionally, in the midfield, Dynamo has the creative Buialskyi. So I would highlight this trio, which is currently determining the game of the Kyivans in attack.
— Three days after Dynamo, Kryvbas has a match against Shakhtar — did such a difficult schedule somehow affect the team's preparation?
— It is always difficult when there is a short interval between two serious opponents. In such cases, recovery is challenging. Given this, our coaching staff has built the training process very wisely so that we approach such important matches in optimal condition.
Regarding the match against Shakhtar, back in March after the game with Vorskla, we discussed that ahead we have a very tough stretch of the championship — matches against Oleksandriya, Dynamo, and Shakhtar, so the team had to mentally prepare for this test.
Sviatoslav Vasylyk
