Karavaev: Lazio and Roma, as well as Real Sociedad are my top three matches that I am most looking forward to

Defender of Dynamo Alexander Karavaev shared his opinion about the team’s start in the new Europa Leaguenamed the most anticipated matches, and also assessed the white-blues’ opponents in the group.

— MWhich matches are you most looking forward to in the Europa League?

— Italian Lazio and Roma, as well as Spanish Real Sociedad – these are my top three matches that I am most looking forward to.

— And Galatasaray, you used to play in the Turkish championship?

— We often played with Turkish teams in European competitions. And we haven’t played with the three clubs I listed earlier for a long time.

— In your opinion, has Dynamo become stronger this summer?

– Yes, it has. There are a number of factors here – we have a lot of newcomers, and the old-timers also want to prove themselves. Last year was not a success for us, both in the Ukrainian championship and on the international stage. Every footballer has motivation, everyone wants to prove themselves.

— Which of the newcomers showed the best performance?

– Alexander Pikhalenok. I crossed paths with him earlier in the Ukrainian national team – he has great potential.

— Well-known platform Opta calculated how many points a team needs to score to finish either in the top eight of the Europa League (15 points) or take a place up to and including 24th (9 points). What can Dynamo Kyiv expect?

— We will set the highest goals – we want to be in the top eight teams of the Europa League. We will start the tournament, and the picture will be clearer.

— In the second round, Dynamo will play in Germany against Hoffenheim. How are things going with German teams in European competitions?

– Not really, I often lost to teams from the Bundesliga, even when I played for Zorya and Dynamo. Now I will have a chance to rehabilitate myself.

— Eight opponents for your team in the Europa League – is this the best option for today, or would it be better to play in the Champions League?

— Of course, it would be more difficult to play in the Champions League, but there are more challenges there. However, we have what we have.

— In the Ukrainian championship, Dynamo is in first place, and the gap with Shakhtar is already six points. Has this happened for a long time?

— Under Lucescu we had a good season when we became champions of Ukraine. Then the gap was also decent +7 points. Now we need positive emotions. We have enough strength to play on two fronts. The fans will be very interested. There will be a lot of football until May, then we will rest.