Former Ukraine forward Ivan Getsko assessed for КОМАНДА1 thechances of Zorya and Dynamo in the competition with Czech Slavia and Turkish Besiktas, respectively.
- I'll start with the more prestigious Europa League. Zorya will face Slavia Prague, which is well known to Ukrainian teams and which forced Dnipro-1 to leave the competition in the previous round. In my opinion, it will be very difficult for the Luhansk team. Slavia's forte is intensity and high pressure, and Zorya, who like to control the ball, do not like this style.
- It is also worrying that Zorya will not be helped by their leading striker Nazariy Rusyn again...
- Everyone has already started to get used to his health problems. Fortunately, this time Rusyn will have someone to replace him, because the legionnaire Guerrero has returned to the team.
- What would you wish the Luhansk team?
- At one time, Zorya's players were often called "men" for their fighting spirit and desire to fight to the end. If Zorya shows character today, their chances of not losing will increase. Although, I repeat, it will be difficult, because Slavia is also notable for its intransigence.
- Now about Dynamo, who will host Besiktas in the Conference League in Bucharest...
- I think that in this pair, Beşiktaş is the favourite. I had a chance to watch the videos of the Turkish giants' recent matches, and their focus on attacking cannot fail to impress.
- Under Mircea Lucescu's leadership, Kyiv have usually played successfully against Turkish teams. Can the knowledge of the Romanian specialist, who once coached Besiktas, be useful to Dynamo this time around?
- It is unlikely. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are practically no strong players left in Dynamo's squad today. And the skill of Bushchan alone, who almost single-handedly helped Aris of Greece to reach the previous round, will not be enough in the confrontation with Besiktas, which had more opportunities for quality reinforcement.
- What do you think Kyiv can expect in today's match in Bucharest?
- If they don't lose, it will be great. Although I am more inclined to believe that Beşiktaş will win with a minimal advantage in the score.
Vasyl Mikhailov