Jozef Szabo: "To reach the penalty shootout and draw the lucky ticket is the only chance for Dynamo in Istanbul"

The well-known coach and football expert Jozef Sabo shared his expectations for the return match of the second qualifying round of the Champions League between Fenerbahce and Dynamo. The game, as a reminder, will take place on July 27 in Istanbul, starting at 20:00. The first match ended in a draw, 0:0.

— It was clear from the first game that the Turks needed a draw more than we did. But Lucescu acted in exactly the same manner. I know well how he builds the game, I remember when he first took over "Dynamo": everything is the same, everything is built on keeping his goal "dry", and then - how it will turn out. So the score of the first match is absolutely logical, let's see what happens next.

- Two coaches - George Jesus, who needs to win, otherwise he will not be understood in Istanbul, to put it mildly, and Mircea Lucescu, who knows Turkish football well and is no stranger to Turkish football. Whose positions in this case, let's say, are more important?

— Both coaches know the teams well, know each other's principles of work well, and not only for the current season. At the same time, I will note that in the situation with Lucescu, there is hardly a question of winning at any cost. Even if the team loses, he will not be fired in any case. If we talk about my prediction for the game, then I believe that Fenerbahce will win at home, the Istanbul team has significantly more prerequisites for this.

— At the expense of what can "Dynamo" add in Istanbul in view of the long absence of official games? Is a week between matches enough to make a big difference?

— In principle, the situation is not so hopeless, "Dynamo" prepared a lot and for a long time. War is war, but the team was assembled, many friendly games were played. Yes, these aren't the kind of matches where you need to get points, but it's better than nothing at all. But at the same time, it feels like something is missing. And there is no attack in "Dynamo". There is no centre-forward to move wide, back and so on. There is really no one to score. Besedin - well, none at the moment, Tsygankov is currently weak, far from his best indicators.

Therefore, in fact, our only chance is to keep the balance until the end of the playing time and reach the lottery from the penalty shootout, where we will try to draw a lucky ticket. I think that this is exactly how Lucescu will play. Yes, there is a chance of catching the Turks on the counterattack, but it is very small, because let's be honest, "Fenerbahce" and, in fact, Jesus needs the victory now more than "Dynamo".

Evgeny Savchuk