Former Ukraine midfielder Oleh Shelayev told us what he expects from the return leg of the Champions League 2nd qualifying round between Greek side Panathinaikos and Dnipro-1. It will be recalled that the first meeting between the rivals ended in a 1-3 defeat for Dnipro.
- You know, I had the impression that in the first game Dnipro overestimated Panathinaikos. And, of course, the game was largely influenced by a very quick goal. From the tenth minute of the game, the Dnipro team was under the pressure to win back the game at any cost, rather than thinking about their game and building attacks more moderately.
Valentyn Rubchynskyi had a great moment with the score at 0-1, and if he had scored, everything could have gone differently. After conceding the second goal, Dnipro-1 sank a little.
"Panathinaikos created all the chances they had in the first game: three shots on target, three goals.
We shouldn't bury Dnipro-1 before the game. The chances are minimal, but they are there. "Panathinaikos is an age-old team and if Dnipro score a goal in the first half, they can turn the game around.
"Dnipro-1 should take a chance and try to impose a fast game on the Greeks. Arrange a swing. Try to catch them on the counterattack. Again, I repeat, most of Panathinaikos' players are age players, and in a one-on-one game against younger opponents, they can lose in speed somewhere. Therefore, Dnipro-1 should create pressure at the opposition's goal from the first minutes of the game. Do not turn off the pressure for a minute.
After the first game, Oleksandr Kucher's team had a full week to recover, not including the trip to Athens. It's good that the game against Vorskla in the UPL was postponed, because after playing this very difficult team, the Dnipro team would definitely not have had as much strength as they should have had after a week of full recovery and a clear training process.
There was no question of the players being tired. The coaching staff had to prepare everyone for the return match as much as possible: both theoretically, by analysing Panathinaikos' game in even more detail, and physically, all the guys had to be in optimal condition.
Panathinaikos' big advantage in the return leg is the home-field factor and the two-goal advantage. Many experts said that Ivan Jovanovic's team is stronger individually, but in the first game I was not very impressed with Panathinaikos players. The same Bernard that everyone was talking about, what did he show? Nothing extraordinary. It's just that everyone remembers the Bernard from his days at Shakhtar and when he played in the Premier League for Everton.
In the first game, I would personally single out the Greek goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli, two central defenders Jordur Magnusson and Bart Schenkeveld, and central midfielder Filip Djuricic.
Of course, Artem Dovbyk was the leader of Dnipro-1 last season, but in the first game against Panathinaikos, he failed to show the kind of performance that fans and coaches expected. He was reliably shut down by his opponents, and his key partner Oleksandr Pikhalenko was not available.
Unfortunately, Dnipro-1 is very dependent on Dovbyk, and the latest news or rumours, which we have not yet been told officially, that the transfer to Girona is already in the final stages, may play a cruel joke on Artem. That is, if this is true, if Dovbyk packs his bags and flies to Spain today or tomorrow, then he may not have enough motivation for the game against Panathinaikos.
No, it's not that I think Artem will play a retired game on the pitch, no. But you understand that if his career in Europe is at stake, he will think twice about whether or not to go into a tough fight, for example. The return will not be maximum. The player will play cautiously one way or another. Who needs injuries before a potential and long-awaited transfer?
Prediction. "I would put it at 1-1, although I wish Dnipro-1 to win with all my heart," Shelayev said.