On 3 November, Dynamo Kyiv will host Shakhtar Donetsk in the central match of the 13th round of the UPL championship. Former Ukraine national team player Oleksandr Kosyrin shared his expectations from today's derby.
Alexander Kosyrin, photo: dumskaya.net- The matches between these giants of Ukrainian football have always been the highlight of the domestic championship. And although this season both teams are performing worse than expected, but still, I am convinced that we are in for an interesting spectacle.
- How can you explain that now Dynamo and Shakhtar are not in the limelight?
- There are a lot of youngsters in the teams, who still need time to cope with the role of leaders. This is especially true for Dynamo.
- Many experts believe that coach Mircea Lucescu is to blame for the recent failures of Dynamo, who, in their opinion, has already exhausted himself.
- I do not think so. It is more the fault of the club management, which did not take care of a quality replacement for the players, who were sold abroad. It is especially difficult in the team with strikers. However, the situation with forwards is not much better at Shakhtar.
- In your opinion, how many goals should Dynamo and Shakhtar forwards score in the UPL championship?
- At least 15 per season, but they do not reach this level. I remember, in my time I set a goal to make the opponents' goalkeepers capitulate 20 times. It was a great motivation, I was always aiming for a goal. I do not see this motivation in the actions of forwards of Ukrainian football giants lately.
- By the way, today Dynamo players will not be able to help Vladislav Vanat because of the disqualification.
- Of course, it is a pity, Kyiv team will miss him a lot. Vladislav could make life difficult for the Pitmen. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Vanat lacks the ability to contain his emotions.
- Unlike Dynamo, the Pitmen perform more consistently.
- Despite the Russian aggression and martial law, the Pitmen still find an opportunity to reinforce with sufficiently qualified legionnaires. This greatly contributes to increased competition for a place in the starting line-up.
- Who do you favour in the derby?
- Shakhtar. I believe that the experience accumulated in constant performances in the Champions League will have a positive impact on their playing tone. Because it's one thing to play against opponents like Barcelona or Porto, and quite another to compete with their Conference League-level counterparts. Moreover, to lose to them. However, I don't rule out the possibility that Dynamo, who have nowhere to retreat to, may not lose. Nevertheless, the derby, as in cup battles, has its own laws.
