Former Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine midfielder Oleg Krasnopyorov told us what he expects from the return match between Vorskla Poltava and Dila Georgian in the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League to be held today in Gori. It will be recalled that the first meeting of the rivals ended with a 2-1 victory for the Ukrainian team.
"Vorskla's advantage before the return leg is minimal, but it is there. So, despite all the schedules, the away game, the loss of two of last year's team leaders - Taulian Seferi and Denys Oliynyk - the Ukrainian club is the favourite in the match.
The rule of the away goal has long been abolished, and therefore Vorskla is the favourite for both the return leg and the confrontation with Dila in general. The first match turned out to be nervous, the Poltava team did not do much in the first half, because the lack of official games was evident, but the team gathered itself and got the necessary victory. It's a pity that it was a minimal one.
In my opinion, this victory was not accidental. Yes, Ibrahim Kane's goal in the end was crazy, but logical, because Vorskla players were in full control of the game in the final period.
Was it a game to keep the score close? Some Ukrainian teams have a bad trait: having an advantage, they close down in defence, but this is definitely not the case with Viktor Skrypnyk's team (Vorskla's head coach - ed.). He does not profess such football. It's not his philosophy of the game.
As for Dila, apart from the fact that the Georgians are playing at home, I don't see any other advantage. I am sure that Dila players will run at Vorskla's goal from the first minutes and try to score a quick goal. Skrypnyk's boys should be prepared for this and try to catch their opponents on the counterattack.
Yes, Andriy Demchenko (Dila's head coach - ed.) has a lot of technical players at his disposal, but they are all inferior in terms of their performance skills to Vorskla's players. Once again, Vorskla dominated the pitch throughout the second half in the first game. Dila's players had enough energy for 45 minutes - and that was it.
Vorskla will have a slightly higher level of players, and the level of the Ukrainian championship, our Premier League, is higher. We have not yet slipped to the level of the Georgian championship. Despite the war, the outflow of legionnaires and other problems.
I don't like to make predictions, but you can draw your own conclusions from the above. It is important for Vorskla to move on. Nowadays, every victory of Ukraine, whether on the football field or in real combat, is very important for our country. I am sure that the Poltava team is well aware that thousands of fans will be watching them and waiting for a positive result. We shouldn't forget about the points for the UEFA coefficients," said Krasnopyorov.