Elina Samoilova: “We expect a combative and very interesting match”

— How do you feel after the defeat to Rostov? Did this result affect your preparation for the cup match in any way?

— It didn’t affect your preparation. It affected your morale – we were recovering for the first two days after the defeat and were, so to speak, morally depressed. However, we understand what awaits us ahead – both the national cup and the championship. Nothing is lost yet, everything will depend only on us.

We are preparing for the cup match as much as possible, because we only need a victory. This is a cup, where there is only one match.

— What is your main focus in the training process?

— We will not reveal all the secrets, but we are working on both attack and defense. We are focusing on what will help us win against Lokomotiv.

— Both Lokomotiv and Dynamo have changed compared to the start of the season. What match are you expecting now?

— We expect a competitive and very interesting match, because two good opponents are meeting in the quarterfinals of the national cup. In addition, we are neighbors in the tournament table in the Russian championship. Of course, both Lokomotiv and we changed the game a little, but this is the Cup, where everything is possible, even what you don’t expect.

— Do you somehow keep in mind the result of the first round match of the Super League, when Dynamo beat Lokomotiv by a large margin, or is it already in the past?

— Not that we keep in mind. We watched a highlight reel of that match to understand what would help us in the game with Lokomotiv. But, I repeat, this is the Cup, where everything is unpredictable. For example, who would have thought that Chertanovo would beat Zenit on penalties?