Former head coach of Odessa "Chernomorets" Stepan Matviev said what he thinks about the prospects of Zhytomyr "Polesie" in the confrontation with the Slovenian "Ljubljana" in the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League after the defeat with a score of 0:2 in the first match with this team.
- I can't say that after yesterday's match in Ljubljana, Polesie has no chance. There is still the second match, which will be held in Gliwice, Poland. I am sure that the coaching staff of Zhytomyr club will do everything possible for the team to make it to the next round of the competition. With such a squad, which "Polesie" has now, there is nothing to think about - Zhytomyr can do it.
"Polesie" is a young team of only developing young club. So it is premature to demand any results, because the process of formation is still ongoing. In the summer Zhytomyr club had a very serious strengthening. There are new players, who still have to play. After all, the lapping process requires some time. I think, the renewed team should justify the coach's expectations.
- What are your impressions of the game in Ljubljana?
- Most of the match "Polesie" looked good, having an advantage over the opponent. The team played and tried. During the game Zhytomyrians could score, but failed. Although they could have lost with a big score. "Olimpia" took advantage of the mistakes of the Ukrainian team and managed to achieve a winning result. It's a pity that in the end of the match our players could not score at least one goal, pressing the opponent to his goal. There was not enough time.
However, I repeat: the two-round duel is not over yet, there is still a return match. The main thing for the coaching staff of "Polesie" is to make the right conclusions from the miscalculations in the game and to adjust the charges so that they could play in the next round of the Conference League.
Vyacheslav Kulchitsky