Qualifying for the Champions League group stage could earn £40 million.
And the honor of playing eight high-profile matches against Europe’s best clubs. But for Dynamo Kyiv coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, it means much more. As they face Rangers in the first leg of their third-round qualifying match in Lublin on Tuesday night, Shovkovskyi’s team is playing in Poland due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He says their achievements are for Dynamo fans and the entire nation.
Shovkovskyi acknowledges that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago has built strength and resilience that boosts their performance on the field. While the financial benefits of reaching the Champions League are appealing, he emphasizes that defeating Rangers to advance to the playoffs is about personal pride for the Ukrainians.
And bring a bit of joy to their war-torn country. Before the first leg against Philippe Clement’s team, the 49-year-old said: “This is the third year of a full-scale war in Ukraine. It’s been ten years since the first aggression against our country.”
“So, of course, there are a lot of negative emotions, a lot of emotions that are impossible to get rid of. They remain in our lives and will probably remain forever.
“Our fighters protect our homes, they do everything possible so that football, as an art, does not disappear in our country. So to have this opportunity to deliver some positive moments (by reaching the Champions League) to those who fight for our freedom, for our independence, it’s something really very important for us.”
“It’s something invaluable and we’re happy we can do that. We want to give them pleasant emotions because they really lack them now.”
He added: “The Olympics taking place in Paris now, and the performances of our Olympians, the medals they have won – it adds faith that despite all these setbacks and the war in Ukraine, we can go through this stage, overcome it, withstand it and win. We want to give positive emotions to our brave soldiers and even to ordinary people because it’s a very difficult moment.”
“We do not separate ourselves from the Ukrainian people, from the Ukrainian nation. We are part of it, and we will do our best in this match to give them those positive moments.”
“Obviously, we cannot play in our home city, with our home crowd. So we are really grateful to all the people who come here to support us.”
Shovkovskyi’s team scored nine goals against Partizan Belgrade in the last qualifying round, but he expects a tougher challenge from Rangers. He hopes his squad, led by former West Ham star Andrey Yarmolenko, will find the net again in Lublin.
But the Dynamo coach isn’t underestimating the challenge. He said: “The last ten years have been difficult for Rangers but the club has managed to rise again, to play in the highest division, to play in the Champions League, to win the cups in Scotland.”
“Now they are on the way to return to the traditions of their club. They have a team of players who play very well in the final stages.”
“They have good players up front and very good wingers. The team is experienced, ambitious, and plays football very fast. It will be an interesting game for us.”
“We have two different good teams and we expect danger from anyone in the Rangers team. We expect two very good matches, and we look forward to them.”
“We have scored a lot of goals and, of course, we hope for that again against Rangers. We train for that, but it’s one thing to create moments – it’s more important to deliver and score. We have to convert them into goals.”
Meanwhile, Dynamo Kyiv playmaker Mykola Shaparenko thinks they’ll need to handle Rangers’ physical play to advance. The midfielder, who will return to Hampden next week for the second leg—two years after celebrating a World Cup play-off win for Ukraine against Scotland—said: “We expect a very physical game on Tuesday.”
“We watched Rangers on video and they have a strong team, with very fast counter-attacks. Scottish teams bring a lot of fight and duels so we need to be ready for that and not be afraid to impose our game.”
“We’ll do our best, and, of course, we expect to win. I remember the game at Hampden, but that’s history now – this will be a different game next week.”
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