FC Dynamo Kyiv head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi answered media questions before the Europa League matchday 2 game against Hoffenheim.
- How was your trip to Germany? In what kind of shape are your players approaching the match?
- Of course the logistics is very tough, given the situation in our country due to the war that came to us from russia – the country that destroys our homes, entire regions, kills our people. They’ve brought a lot of grief, and I think no one thought that such a thing was possible in the 21st century. Now we see that the situation is deteriorating in many regions, as well as in the world in general.
These conditions certainly leave a certain mark and our logistics has become much more complicated. But we are almost used to it, ready for it, so I don’t want to complain in any way. We adapt to this and do our best to make our travels as comfortable as possible.
Taking into account all the time spent on the road, we left the day before yesterday, in the evening, and reached Hoffenheim last night. We’ve had a small training session, I would even say a warm-up, since it is difficult to practice something after such a journey.
As for the players who are getting ready for the game, we have certain problems. In particular, Maksym Braharu stayed in Kyiv as he won’t play tomorrow due to the red card he got in the match with Lazio. Andrii Yarmolenko and Vitalii Buialskyi have minor injuries that won’t let them play against Hoffenheim. They also stayed at home to recover and get ready for the following matches. All other players are training as usual and are ready to take the field tomorrow.
- Hoffenheim had a fun game against Werder last weekend. They were 3:0 in front in the 12th minute, but lost 3:4. Have you analyzed that match? What do you think of this team?
- I wouldn’t focus just on the game against Werder. Hoffenheim scored three, but they got outnumbered in the 18th minute after which only visitors scored.
It’s always difficult to oppose German teams. Hoffenheim did a great job last season. Many of their players perform on really high level and each one can be a threat.
