Flag from the frontline will hang in the dressing room before kick-off although midfielder Oleksandr Karavayev said his side expect no free passes or ‘presents’ in Cardiff
Karavayev’s family are based in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson. “They cannot watch the match because there is no connection and internet,” said Karavayev, whose club, Dynamo Kyiv, have not played a game since December. “But they communicate by messages and read the news. I had my birthday on 2 June and my mum’s on Friday and it [victory over Scotland] was a nice present for them. My friends follow the news and it was also a nice present for them.
“It was very emotional for us and we had very strong support even from Scottish fans. We felt that and it helped us. In the last two or three years we had no full stadiums and it’s really good to have that and such support.”on Sunday, Karavayev said: “Sport is sport and we don’t expect presents or an unfair win. We know how hard it is and it is the most important game of their lives and we really wish to win. We will do everything possible to win.
Petrakov said there was no pressure on Ukraine to win the game. “I do not communicate with any soldiers but my players write to soldiers and they received a flag from the war, which they promised to hang in the dressing room,” he said. “It is a really hard situation in Ukraine and not everybody has a chance to watch football. Not everyone does because of many problems. We will try to concentrate tomorrow and have a good game.
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