Next Tuesday, July 29, Kyiv’s “Dynamo” will play the return match of the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League against the Maltese “Hamrun Spartans”. The match will take place in Lublin. A day before the game, a pre-match press conference with the head coach of the Ukrainian team, Alexander Shovkovsky, took place in the conference hall of the “Arena Lublin” stadium, which will host this match.
— How ready is the team for the season in percentage?
— First of all, I want to say that the team is preparing. If I say that it is 100% ready, it would be untrue. We are striving for that, but we still lack sufficient playing practice to reach peak form. It would be strange if the team were fully ready from the very start of the season. There is always room for improvement. In every game, regardless of the result, we strive to do our utmost, implement all our developments, and achieve our goals.
— The head coach of “Hamrun Spartans” said that nothing is decided yet. Is there any underestimation of the opponent on your part?
— I mentioned before the first match that the strength of “Hamrun Spartans” lies in their Italian coach, who skillfully manages the game, sets it for the team, and his players know how to play. One of the strong points of our opponent is their head coach. “Hamrun Spartans” demonstrated this in their rivalry with “Zalgiris,” where they managed to come back from 0:2 in the first match to advance to the next round.
Alexander Shovkovsky. Photo — A.PopovWe evaluate any opponent based on their qualities, game scheme, and developments. We strive to play our football while taking all these moments into account. Every game starts at 0:0. This should always be remembered. In every match, the team as a whole, as well as all the players, must reaffirm not only that they have ambitions but also their readiness to step onto the pitch in the starting lineup at any moment.
— Did you have the opportunity to assess the state of the pitch at the “Arena Lublin”?
— We will do this now, after the press conference ends.
— What is the personnel situation in the team ahead of tomorrow’s match?
— Unfortunately, Rubchinsky and Torres are still recovering. Moreover, Rubchinsky has such a complicated injury that we had to send him to Kyiv for examination and to start treatment. He has a recurrence of an Achilles tendon injury, and he won’t be able to help us in the near future. He will have to remain in a rigid “boot” for a certain period to minimize the load on the ankle. We will certainly be without Rubchinsky for a few weeks, if not a month.
Torres’s recovery is progressing, but he needs to endure a specific period to return to training with the main group.
Unfortunately, we cannot count on Bulyalsky tomorrow; he has an injury. To avoid making it worse, we decided to leave him out of the squad for the upcoming match.
Pre-match press conference of Andrey Yarmolenko.
Alexander POPOV from Lublin
