Oleg Kuznetsov, former defender of Kyiv Dynamo, told us what he expects from the encounter between Dnipro 1 and Cyprus AEK in the 1/16 finals of the Conference League.
Oleg Kuznetsov"The main thing is that Dnipro 1 have kept the skeleton of the team, and the training camp is actually a routine and necessary work. In addition, I would not pay much attention to the results of sparring. As for the reinforcement of the team, the foreign players (Peglow, Hayner and Matarrita - editor's note) are not well-known, so it is difficult to say how much they will help Dnipro 1 in the match against AEK.
I think that everything goes according to plan for Dnipro. They have a qualified coaching staff who know how to distribute the workload. Now the schedule includes the conference league games, which we must perform successfully. I am sure, Dnipro 1 cannot neglect the Ukrainian league, as the distance from February to May is short, so there is enough strength.
As for the match against AEK, I'm not sure that Dnipro will be thinking primarily about revenge for the defeat from this club in the Europa League qualifying. The problem of reaching the next stage of the tournament should be solved. The current Dnipro 1 is a stronger team than in the autumn. But the Cypriot AEK is an equally strong opponent, who also tried to strengthen the squad during the winter.
Forecast for the first match? I would risk a 2-1 away win for Dnipro 1," said Kuznetsov.
