Dynamo Kyiv vice-captain Andriy Yarmolenko shared his expectations ahead of the UEFA Conference League group stage match against English side Crystal Palace.
- Tomorrow you’ll face a team from the strongest league in the world. Will that help you show your best qualities or, on the contrary, put pressure on you?
- We know who we’re going to play against. Of course, Crystal Palace play quality and aggressive football. We’ve watched many of their matches and we know their strengths. But first and foremost we need to focus on our own game – we have our own style and objectives. I’m confident that the players who step onto the pitch tomorrow will give everything to achieve a positive result.
- What do you remember about Crystal Palace from your time in the Premier League with West Ham?
- There’s no point looking back at what Crystal Palace were like back then. Players change, coaches change. This is a completely different team compared to the one I faced during my time in the Premier League.
- Last season Dynamo struggled in European competitions. What’s the team’s mood and expectation now?
- We understand that last season, to put it mildly, wasn’t good in terms of our European performances. This year, of course, we want to put things right and we’ll play to win every single match.
- You’ve faced Crystal Palace before. Does that help you recall the level of the Premier League?
- All the experience I’ve gained throughout my career helps me. Experience is valuable in every aspect of life, not just in football. I hope it helps me perform well tomorrow. But I don’t want to make predictions – I’ll be able to answer that after the game. And besides I don’t even know if I’ll play – that’s up to the head coach. What I can say is this: every player must focus on his own game, try to show his best qualities but also think about the team and do everything for the team’s victory.
- The whole world knows what is happening in Ukraine. How do you personally cope with this and do you feel your football brings joy to fans back home?
- Yes, the war is ongoing. It’s very hard – for everyone, not only footballers, but for all our people. Every day the terrorist state kills our children, our women, our friends, our men… It’s very difficult. Through football we want to give at least some positive emotions to our people.
