The head coach of Kyiv's Dynamo, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, answered journalists' questions during a press conference ahead of the first match of the second qualifying round of the Champions League against the Maltese team Hamrun Spartans.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi— How do you assess the team's preparation for the first official match and the new season overall?
— Finally, official matches are returning to our lives, and right away—qualifying matches for the right to participate in the Champions League. This is always a test, and it is never easy.
We fully understand that training camps, no matter how they are, are a challenging period for the players. It is an attempt to "work on" their character and physical condition. We have encountered a few— I wouldn't call them problems, rather, tests, because different groups of players started training camps at different times. This is related to the national team matches, as well as the youth team, which participated in the European Championship.
So there were certain moments, but I hope all the players are in good shape now. However, I can't say for sure that they are 100% ready. Tomorrow will be the first game, and it certainly adds nervousness, but that is how it should be. Overall, the team is ready, and we clearly understand the tasks ahead of us.
— "Hamrun Spartans" came back after a 0:2 loss to "Zalgiris" in the previous stage. What strengths of this team can you highlight? What should we expect from them?
— One of the strengths of our opponent is the Italian coach who leads the team. "Hamrun Spartans" tactically builds their game quite wisely—this was evident in the return match, where they completely "destroyed" "Zalgiris", played aggressively with significant force and executed many wing attacks. I think we can expect the same kind of game tomorrow.
— Are all players ready for the match, or are there any losses?
— Unfortunately, we definitely have two losses—Valentyn Rubchynskyi, who will not be able to help us, and Anhel Torres, who also suffered an injury and needs time. Therefore, they are not included in the squad for these qualifying matches. The rest of the players are in normal condition and are preparing for the game.
