Mircea LUCHESCU: “My words about the last game at Dynamo are full of emotion”

Dynamo head coach Mircea Lucescu He answered the questions of journalists in Istanbul on the eve of the match between local Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kyiv in the 1st round match of the group stage of the Europa League.

– You said that your players were demoralized after the recent defeat in the Ukrainian championship. Do you think this could affect the outcome of tomorrow’s match?

– I don’t think it will have an impact on our team. We have professional football players who know how to watch the matches. At the start of the European Cup tournament, there is an important match that both teams want to play at a good level. Last time we played a very good match with a great atmosphere in the stadium we expect tomorrow in Istanbul.

– From the moment you played against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League qualifiers, the formation of this team has improved and they are playing more effectively now. Is the opponent stronger?

– It is not true that the formation of Fenerbahçe has changed. In general, it is the same. One of the midfielders – Arao or Yuksek – comes back and plays in three series, but now this remake includes a defender. Jesus always uses such a scheme.

It is worth noting that Fenerbahçe has done a very good job of signing a large number of quality new players. Pedro, Enrique, are about 30 years old and have professional football experience.

– After the Dnipro-1 game, you said that this might be your last game at Dynamo, but you led the team to the next Zorya game…

– These were feelings, because we are going through a very difficult moment. After the Zorya match, it took us 11 hours to reach Chisinau, where we flew to Istanbul. It’s a tough situation, but football gives you a variety of experiences. Despite everything, we are preparing for a good match tomorrow.

– You’ve scored two goals in the last four games and…

– Yes, we had a number of negative results. We had a full advantage over our opponents in the Ukrainian Premier League games, but we made mistakes on defense and conceded very simple goals. It was the same with Benfica. This is because players are constantly focusing on the situation in their country, thinking about the safety of their families and children. We don’t have a permanent home anymore, we travel from city to city to play games. I don’t know where we are tomorrow. And this is not easy. But as I said, we have very good players, so we hope to have a positive result in the Europa League.

– Jorge Jesus said that football always gives a second chance and that Fenerbahçe hopes to take advantage of it. What do you think about that?

– Fenerbahce is a top-level team with an excellent staff. The head coach, who is also very experienced and qualified, did a good job. He knows very well what needs to be done on the field to achieve victory. Fenerbahçe will be one of the main candidates for the championship in Turkey.

– Do you believe you will win tomorrow?

– First of all, we have to play. Fenerbahce, like us, aims to start the Europa League with a win. Let’s see how the game goes. This applies not only to tomorrow’s game, but also to all future matches in the group. We will find out who will be the winner of the quartet only in November.