Petev: The attacks won’t weaken us

Ludogorets’s coach Ivaylo Petev shared his expectations about the upcoming match with Lokomotiv Sofia this weekend. He also gave his comment on other questions of present interest.

- Mr. Petev, how difficult will be the upcoming match against Lokomotiv Sofia?

- I’ve always said that since we got to be a factor in the Bulgarian championship, there’s no easy match for us, and that won’t change this weekend. The field that we’re going to play on against Lokomotiv is going to be in a bad condition. It will definitely be easier for our opponent. However, I expect my team to play well and to win the match that will give us another three points in the battle for the title.

- Do you have any problems with important players before the match?

- All the players are well and I can count on them. Those who were called up to the national teams are also about to join the team. I hope they will also be in best shape.

- What is your opinion on Lokomotiv?

- The team disposes with experienced players. We will take a respectful approach to the adversary, like we always do. Lokomotiv has scored some impressive results this season, in spite of the place that it is currently taking.

- How would you comment the multiplying information in the media that Ludogorets is going to dismiss some of the players after the end of the season, and that others will leave by their own choice?

- First of all, Ludogorets is not a club where players would find out about their dismissal in the newspapers. And second, there’s enough time until the end of the championship so that each one of the players will have the opportunity to prove himself. For a few days now the media has been proclaiming that we were going to dismiss players after the end of the season. My explanation is that this information tends to artificially create tension in Ludogorets before our important matches. My advice for the fans is not to trust such “news, because they are about to hear a lot of nonsense by the end of the season. I will only say that those news items show the authors’ deliberateness and misinformation. The attacks won’t weaken us. I’m happy with the fact that, by far, the important information concerning the team’s future has been always kept as a club secret.

- Your opinion about the national team’s presentation against Malta and Denmark?

- The national team has its coaching staff. I would prefer to withhold any comment. As a Bulgarian I’m happy that we got so much points from the two matches.