Shaparenko: We need to be ready to enter the fight and not be afraid

Kyiv midfielder Dynamo Nikolay Shaparenko commented on the upcoming match with Rangers in the first face-to-face confrontation of the third qualifying round Champions League.

“We expect a very powerful game. We saw video reviews of the matches, they play a powerful game, very fast counterattacks. The coaching staff pointed out their interaction to us, now everything depends on us, because we are the ones playing on the field.”

“England and Scotland are about the same level of football. There is a lot of fighting there and we need to be ready to fight, not be afraid, and, of course, impose our game, the one we want to see. We don’t care how the opponent plays, we should only care about our own game, motivation. We will strive only for victory.”

“When we played here at the previous stage against Partizan, there was great support. The fans inspired us to play even more brightly and openly, because they came to support us. We are far from home, but it felt like we were at home.”

“Of course, we want many people to come to this match and support us the same way as they did against Partizan. It gave us strength, energy, motivation. How can we play in a stadium with empty stands? After all, we play for the fans and try to give the energy we receive from them.”

The home match for the Kiev team will take place in Lublin, Poland, at the Lublin Arena on Tuesday, August 6. The match will kick off at 20:00 local time (21:00 Kyiv time). The return match will take place in Glasgow a week later, on August 13.

The match in Lublin will be officiated by Donatas Rumšas from Lithuania. His compatriots Aleksandrs Radiush and Dovydas Sužedelis will be assistant referees. Lithuanian Robertas Šmitas has been appointed reserve referee.