On 17 August, Dynamo Kyiv will host Greek Aris in the Romanian capital Bucharest in the return match of the Conference League qualification. A week ago in Thessaloniki the Greeks won with a minimum score (1:0). Volodymyr Kovalyuk, a former player of Dynamo and several other domestic elite teams, assessed the chances of Kyiv to qualify for the next round of the tournament.
Photo: fcdynamo.com- It seems that all domestic interested organisations have made sure that Kyiv have proper conditions to prepare for today's clash. After the game in Thessaloniki the Kyivians immediately redeployed to Bucharest, where they will host the Greeks. All that is left is to go out on the pitch and achieve the desired result.
- And who do you favour in the Romanian match?
- Of course, I would like the Kyiv team to overcome the Greek obstacle, although it will be very difficult to do it, there are too many vulnerable spots in the Dynamo squad.
- What do you mean?
- First of all, we are very worried about the insecure defensive play of Kyiv team. It is still necessary to be able to make such childish mistakes at their gates. I want to remind Dynamo players that one defensive blunder with the score 1:0 in favour of the rival will practically wipe out all their hopes for getting a ticket to the next round.
- After the first match Dynamo coach Mircea Lucescu had serious claims to one of the leading players - Andriy Yarmolenko.
- Unfortunately, we have to state that now Yarmolenko cannot fulfil the role of Dynamo leader. I think that he degraded playing in the UAE, because the weaker the championship is, the more difficult it is for a player to progress. I do not even know if Yarmolenko will be lucky to return to his level, which allowed him to be visible even in the national team of Ukraine. And the years are already taking their toll.
With dense resistance of the Greeks on the approach to their penalty area, Mykola Shaparenko was invisible on the field. It seems that after a serious injury he is still far from his fighting form.
That's why in Bucharest also much will depend on whether the midfield line will be balanced, whether there will be enough creativity.
- In the opening rounds of the UPL championship Dynamo pleasantly surprised with high performance, but they could not do anything with the well-organised defence of modest Aris.
- Unfortunately, the UPL level is low for various reasons, and the real assessment of what you are really worth is given by such matches in the European Cup. So far, our representatives - Vorskla, Dnipro-1, Dynamo - are disappointing.
To win we need not only not to concede, but also to score. Is there such a skilful shooter among Dynamo players? Young Vladislav Vanat, who couldn't play in Thessaloniki, shows some hope. However, he is also very dependent on his partners.
