This Thursday, 24 August, the first match of the Conference League qualification play-off round between Dynamo Kyiv and Turkish Besiktas will take place at the Giulesti stadium in Bucharest. Turkish football expert Alaaddin Guven Memis told about the opponent of Mircea Lucescu's team especially for Dynamo.kiev.ua.
Alaaddin Güven MemişIt has always been difficult for all Turkish teams to play against Ukrainian teams at the beginning or in the middle of the European Cup season. And now it does not matter that Dynamo lost to Chornomorets (2:3), and Besiktas failed to beat the weakest team of the Turkish Super League - Pendikspor (1:1) at home. In European cups there is always a different, special atmosphere and a different, special motivation. Especially in a situation when Mircea Lucescu's team opposes a Turkish club.
Before Dynamo vs Besiktas I would like to tell you about the opponent of the Ukrainian team, about its tentative squad and share my prediction for the first match.
Tactics
"Besiktas" plays according to the scheme 4-3-3, professes total football. This scheme is a priority for Besiktas head coach Şenol Güneş, he uses it in friendlies, in the Turkish Super League and in European competitions. There is no doubt that Besiktas will play in both matches against Dynamo using the 4-3-3 scheme.
Lineup
On Thursday, Mert Günok will be in goal for Besiktas. He is now considered the best goalkeeper in Turkey and is the main goalkeeper of the national team.
Valentin Rozier will be the right defender. He has been playing in the main squad for four years. Rosier may not be in the same shape as before, but he finds reserves for European Cup matches and shows his potential well.
The left-back is Masuaku Kawela. Last season he adapted in the team, and now he is playing much better.
Central defenders - Omar Kolli and Daniel Amartey. Colli moved to Besiktas last season from Sampdoria. He scored a goal in the team's last match (against Pendijkspor) and played very well. Amarti joined Besiktas this summer, having transferred from Leicester. There are a lot of complaints about him now, but I think a couple more matches and he will play better. And it is in the pairing with Collie.
Midfielders. Jedson Fernandes, Amir Hadziahmetovic and Salih Uchan. Of these three, Fernandes is in the best shape right now, he plays consistently in the lineup.
But Besiktas' best line is their attack. It will be difficult for any opponent to defend against the current Besiktas. The team has two edge forwards (wingers) - Ante Rebic and Jackson Muleka.
Rebic was the best transfer of Besiktas this summer - he came from AC Milan. He adapted in the team very quickly. Muleka is a fast and efficient footballer. But I expect that in the second half of the match with Dynamo he will be replaced by another newcomer of Besiktas Milot Rasica: last season he was a key player of Galatasaray, with whom he became the champion of Turkey.
As for Rashid Ghezzal, he hasn't played for a long time due to injury. And it is not known when he will return to the field, so no one is expecting him in the squad now.
The centre forward of Besiktas is Abubakar. It's a great luck for the team to have him in the squad. I think he will score at least one goal in the first match with Dynamo. Abubakar now shows football of his level and from the whole squad he is in the best form. Without him, it would be much more difficult for Besiktas to solve their problems. Aboubakar is often replaced by Cenk Tosun, but he has just recovered from injury and is not fully ready yet. I think, Tosun will play the first match with Dynamo in the reserve.
In general, the key players of Besiktas are Fernandes and Abubakar. If Dynamo manage to neutralise them, they will achieve the desired result.
Prediction
I consider Besiktas the favourite in this pair. But I predict that the first match will end in a draw. If Dynamo manage to open the score in the first 30 minutes of the match, it will be difficult for Besiktas to get back into the game. The obvious disadvantage of the Turkish team is that they are not fully ready physically. And they make too many mistakes in the defensive zone. So it will be an interesting game!
Alaaddin Guven Memis for Dynamo.kiev.ua
