Former Dynamo Kyiv forward Oleh Venglinskyi shared his prediction for the match between Dnipro-1 and Panathinaikos in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League.
Oleg Venglinsky. Photo - fcdynamo.com- On paper, of course, Panathinaikos is the clear favourite. But, again, on paper. We need to take into account the fact that Ivan Jovanovic's team has not yet played a single official match, just like Dnipro-1. But! Greek teams have this trait, Panathinaikos is no exception, they take a very long time to get into the season.
Believe me, I played in Greece myself and I remember well that the start of the championship: everyone there always starts sluggishly - both the giants of the calibre of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK, AEK, and teams whose names will not say anything to Ukrainian fans. That said, Dnipro-1 has a chance. And the chances are quite good.
I spoke to my friends from Greece, they are rabid Panathinaikos fans and have seen the team's recent games with their own eyes. So, they told me directly - Panathinaikos' game is still very raw, and most of the players are far from perfect.
They called the match against the Spanish Rayo Vallecano (0:1) a miserable one. It seems that the coaching staff is trying to force the team's preparation, but they are not doing a very good job.
The reason why most experts consider the Greeks to be the undisputed favourites in the match is that they have several players with quite big names. First of all, we are talking about the well-known former Shakhtar player Bernard, who is well known to all Ukrainian football fans. And, of course, there is also ex-Dynamo player Benjamin Verbych, but he is not the first fiddle, let's be honest.
You know, in the first game, I believe that Dnipro are still the favourites. "Panathinaikos traditionally plays poorly away from home. Yes, the game will be in Slovakia, not Ukraine, but it's still an away game for the Greeks. We need to cool them down and try to make a head start before the return leg in Athens, because it will be difficult. Very difficult. The hell in the stands from Panathinaikos fans is also a test for the players of the opposing teams.
The match between Dnipro-1 and Panathinaikos is a match where order can beat class. Moreover, Dnipro-1 has its own great performers, especially the irrepressible Artem Dovbyk.
Team football is what Dnipro-1 can use to overcome Panathinaikos. The boys of Oleksandr Kucher, Bernard and company will not be able to compete one-on-one in individual skills. With all due respect to the Dnipro team.
"Dnipro-1 needs to play defensively. I am sure that a good game is behind us and will be the key to success. There will be moments ahead. Let's say one or two, but there will be, and with a forward like Dovbyk, there is a chance that these moments will be transformed into goals.
And, of course, Dnipro will need to give their all in this game. One hundred per cent, or even one hundred and ten per cent. That's the only way. I don't think there should be any problems with motivation.
In general, if Dovbyk is on fire, the Ukrainian team has a very decent chance of beating Panathinaikos. What we need to be afraid of is that the Greeks will be able to "switch off" Dovbyk. The game against Dynamo in the second round of the UPL (0:1) clearly showed that when Artem is neutralised, Dnipro-1 stops. The Greeks are very afraid of Dovbyk. "After the draw, Greek journalists called me, three of them took turns asking about Dnipro-1. They think that this club and the Dnipro that played in the Europa League final are the same.
So, I told them right away - "If Dovbyk is on fire, you're done for! With your defenders, he will score for sure." I intimidated the Greeks a bit (laughs). I was mainly interested in Artem, because his name is now a household name in Europe.
Panathinaikos' main trump cards are the players who are in Ivan Jovanovic's team. Bernard, Ruben Perez, Sebastian Palacios, Andras Sporar are the leaders of the team from Athens.
How do you beat these trump cards? It's both simple and difficult at the same time. You do not need to give them the opportunity to run away. You need to play clearly in defence, if you need to "hang" on their feet, take them in a vice grip. They need to be deprived of space on the field.
Panathinaikos' defence is far from faultless, so if Dnipro-1 plays its defence well, I repeat, Dovbyk can break down the Greek redoubts and get the desired result for his team.
If I were to bet money, I would put it on Dnipro-1 not losing the first game. Or maybe even win by one goal. We will soon find out if I am right.
