In the second part of the season, Dynamo has already played against Dnipro-1, Zorya and Shakhtar, but the calendar until the end of the season is still not easy. Acting head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi will face some tough matches.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Photo by Yuriy YurievTomorrow, Shovkovskyi starts with a match against Metalist. The main disadvantage is the long train journey to Uzhhorod, where the team from Kharkiv plays. Today, Metalist is one of the weakest teams in the UPL with an obscure coach. The team has big problems with defence and concedes a lot of goals. There are talks in football circles that they want to deliberately "merge" into the First League because there will be lower financial costs. The club will rely on its own youth and wait for better times. It does not seem logical to encourage third parties to rival Dynamo. Therefore, they can only tune in to a big-name opponent to prove themselves. If Dynamo don't create any problems for themselves, everything should be fine. It will be very important for Shovkovskyi to start with a confident victory.
The next opponent will be Vorskla. Viktor Skrypnyk's team was not very convincing at the start of the second part of the season, but then they managed to improve and win 3 games. In general, they have not lost 5 matches in a row. This weekend they play away against one of the outsiders, Rukh. There are all the prerequisites for the winning streak to continue. The Poltava team has a chance to fight for the Conference League given the problems of Oleksandriya. Skrypnyk is a very competent coach, we will have to go to Poltava. "Dynamo will have a very difficult game.
After that, the third consecutive trip to Kryvyi Rih to visit Kryvbas. The team has to visit three cities in different parts of Ukraine in the next 10 days. There will be little time for recovery and rest. "Kryvbas doesn't look like a strong team right now. They have a hard time creating chances and scoring goals. Against Dynamo, they will play second-choice defence. For a team with big ambitions, victories over the giants are very important. The hosts' attitude will be huge. I'm not so much afraid of Kryvbas as I am of the third consecutive away game, fatigue, the pitch of the Girnyk stadium (which doesn't look great when it rains) and a trip to a frontline city (not that all foreigners will go there).
In 5 days, Roman Hryhorchuk's Chornomorets are waiting for Dynamo in Kyiv. Odesa have so far become the main discovery of the second part of the season. Roman Yosypovych has set up a very rational game for the team. They took the points from Shakhtar when they still had the strength. They are steadily gaining points in other matches. I am very impressed with the team. The match in Kyiv against Dynamo is a good opportunity for them to make a statement.
After that, it will be a little easier. On 20 May, we travel to Oleksandriya to play against the club of the same name. Ruslan Rotan's team is not doing well so far. One victory and a not very spectacular game. The team is being rebuilt, both tactically and in terms of personnel.
In 4 days, we'll be travelling to Kovalivka. Dynamo is always an irritant for the local Kolos. Moreover, Yaroslav Vyshniak's team may have a chance of finishing fifth. At least there is no need to travel far.
There will be no big rest after Kolos. Three days later, they host Veres at home. The team from Rivne plays very simple football because of dedication and desire. The level of the opponent is not high at all. But the main factor here is that Yuriy Virta's team is fighting for survival. They need every point. Moreover, very little time will pass after the match against Kolos. At least there will be no long journey.
The Kyiv team finishes with a match in Kovalivka against Metalist-1925. This is an average team that has so far protected itself from head-to-head matches. The team is very weak, but everything goes through collective action. There shouldn't be any major problems.
Serhii Tyshchenko
