Yesterday, the blue-and-yellow arrived in Glasgow, where on June 1 they will play a UEFA 2022 World Cup qualifier playoff match against Scotland (kickoff at 21:45 Kyiv time). The day before this important game, head coach of our team Oleksandr Petrakov spoke at the press conference.

— How difficult was it for you to prepare the team given the situation in Ukraine right now?

— It was very difficult. The boys are thinking about their families and how things are at home. We had to joke around, tell them that we have our own war — on the football pitch. They were good, listened, prepared, so we approach the game in a fighting spirit.

— You've coached many matches throughout your career. Is tomorrow's match — the most important one of your career? What will you tell your players before the game starts?

— Yes, at this stage in my life, it will be the most important match. As for what I'll say — that's internal business.

— Kieran Tierney and Nathan Patterson won't participate in the match. How much easier does this make things for your team?

— The Scottish national team has players who can replace these guys. As we do. Whatever happens — it's a national team. They have a good team, good performers, so this won't affect the game.

— How would you assess the form of players who play in the Ukrainian championship? After all, they couldn't get playing practice and participate in matches...

— It turned out that during preparation we only played three friendly matches. We'll see how the players look tomorrow...