Kostyuk: Qarabag are a tough test, but Dynamo back ourselves to go through

Ihor Kostyuk sat down with reporters a day before Dynamo Kyiv's first leg in the Conference League third qualifying round against Qarabag. The Dynamo coach opened with a message about the situation in Ukraine. He said the latest attacks hurt deeply and admitted it is psychologically difficult for the squad to be away from their loved ones while homes are destroyed and civilians are killed. On the PAOK defeat, Kostyuk clarified that his comment about one player beating Dynamo was sarcastic. PAOK, he said, are a strong team from a tough European league, and Dynamo lost because of their own mistakes. The key now is seeing how the players respond and whether they can cut out those errors. Asked about Qarabag, Kostyuk described them as a difficult opponent and pointed out that they played in the Champions League last season. Still, he is confident in his own side: the team are analysing, improving and will do everything they can to go through. Kostyuk also believes European competition will help the group grow despite the fixture congestion. He expects rotation between league and Europe, with two full squads getting minutes and internal competition deciding the lineups. There was an update on personnel too. Oleksandr Tymchyk has joined the group, while Kostiantyn Vivcharenko remains sidelined. Kyrylo Osypenko, Vladyslav Zakharchenko and Denys Popov are recovering in Kyiv. Mykola Mykhaylenko is not training in the main group and is also working on his recovery. The rest of the squad is fit and available. Dynamo Kyiv host Qarabag on 6 August, with kickoff at 20:00 Kyiv time.