Dnipro-1 head coach Oleksandr Kucher told us what he expects from the first match against Czech side Slavia in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League, which will take place today in Prague.
Oleksandr Kucher"Before each game, the teams have almost equal chances - 50-50. Everything will depend on these two matches.
Our opponent is well prepared physically. "Slavia plays dangerously in standard positions, when seven or eight players come to the penalty area. The team is fast and plays vertically, trying to quickly deliver the ball to the opponent's penalty area. There are a lot of flank passes, after which a lot of players go to complete the attack.
We need to play carefully and strictly in defence, because lately we have been giving a lot of gifts to our opponents and we have been making some unnecessary mistakes.
As for the injured, Miroshnichenko and Volynets will not be available, there are questions about Pikhalenko, who has a fever - he did not even come to training but stayed at the hotel. So we will make a decision on him on the day of the match. Let's see how he feels.
Of course, I hope that Ukrainians who have moved here to Prague and the Czech Republic in general will come to support us. It will be very nice and we need it above all. We know that all the tickets are sold out, and this is very good for us, because we missed the fans, because now we play in front of empty stands. Of course, it's very nice when the arena is full and supports not only the opponent, but also you. It's a different game when there are fans in the stands.
The acquisition of Filippov and Lednev? Of course, the guys have already joined us. Now we will train, talk to them, see how they are doing and then we will watch them on the day of the game. Perhaps you will see them against Slavia," Kucher said at the pre-match press conference.
