Renowned Ukrainian coach Serhii Kovalets told us what he expects from the two-match clash between Dnipro-1 and Spartak Trnava in the play-offs of the Conference League qualifying round.
"If we talk about the two-match duel, I would say that the chances are equal - the classic 50-50. Spartak's only advantage is that both games will be played in Slovakia: the first in Trnava and the second in Kosice. The distance between the cities is not very long, less than 400 kilometres. There will be Spartak fans at both games, no doubt about it.
There will be no easy games with Spartak, even though the name of this club does not sound as formidable as Panathinaikos or Slavia, it is one hundred percent certain. If we talk about the level of football in the Slovak league, it is not very high. Even Slovan Bratislava, the undisputed leader of Slovakia in recent seasons, rarely makes it to the group tournaments of the Europa League or the Conference League.
"Spartak is one of the greats of Slovak football, a team with a history. For many years, the club from Trnava has been a football club and a business project. Two in one. They focus on the education of young players, who are then sold to German, Italian, and Austrian clubs for quite a lot of money. The main thing is for the players to shine, as they say. And where else can they do that better than in European competitions? The motivation, especially of Spartak's Slovakian players, will be sky-high.
In matches against Spartak, Dnipro-1 must first of all pay attention to defence. It was predictable that the team would score fewer goals without Dovbyk, but they started conceding a lot. Three goals in Prague from Slavia, two from Obolon. The attack wins matches, and the defence wins tournaments. It is not for nothing that they say so.
But Dnipro-1 has problems not only in defence. We can say a lot about all lines - from defence to attack. Starting with the goalkeeping position, which, of course, was imagined differently. But even after Volynets' injury, we still have the more experienced legionnaire Max Valef. And we have Yakiv Kinareikin, a young guy, 19 years old, and then the games against Panathinaikos and Slavia. He needs time to gain experience, to start playing with more confidence. There's nothing to blame him for, because he has no experience of playing in European competitions.
If we talk about who can replace Dovbyk, it should be Oleksandr Filipov. That's why he was signed, but he needs time to adapt. He is still new to the team. As Valeriy Lobanovsky said: the whole team must work for both defence and attack. It has to be a single unit, a single mechanism.
In European Cup matches, especially at such stages as qualification, when everything is decided in two games, there should be not just a plan for the game, but a strategy for the confrontation. If the current coaching staff of Dnipro-1, who will be preparing the team for the matches against Spartak, can come up with a clear strategy, the team will be able to get past the Slovaks. We have no right to underestimate them now, so everything will depend on the depth of knowledge and understanding of this difficult, "biting" opponent.
What is your prediction for the first game? I think it will be 2-1 in favour of the Ukrainian club. "Dnipro-1 must finally win in European competitions," Kovalets was quoted as saying by Ukrainian Football.