Former head coach of Dynamo Kyiv Leonid Buryak shared withUV hisexpectations for the return match of the White and Blues in the second qualifying round of the Champions League against Partizan Belgrade from Serbia.
Leonid Buriak- Leonid Yosypovych, what are your premonitions for game number two?
- The result that Dynamo achieved in the first game needs to be consolidated. The return leg must be approached as seriously as possible, despite the decent handicap of four goals.
It has always been difficult to play in Belgrade, since the days of Yugoslavia. Serbian teams play with double motivation at home. They've always had great local players, their own players.
You know, it's great that the game in the Serbian capital will be played in front of an empty stadium, because Serbian fans are a separate story. They are the craziest in Europe after the Turks.
- Partizan fans are not just crazy, they are insane. The Gravediggers' ultras even threatened to physically assault Dynamo's players after the pogrom in the first match. I've read this on the Internet.
- So I say, thank God that the match will take place without the fans. All the steps taken by Dynamo's players and coaching staff, for which Serbian journalists, fans, and even Partizan's management(Serbian general manager Milos Vazura ) tried to condemn the Kyiv club, are justified. We are at war in our country. We have the right to react and act in this way. We do not accept anything related to Russia.
In general, I would not like the match in Belgrade to turn into some kind of political action, so to speak. Dynamo players need to think only about the result. Half the work has been done, but only 50 percent. We need to consolidate it.
- Should we expect a lineup rotation from Oleksandr Shovkovskyi? Still, the start of the UPL season is ahead, with a high degree of probability - a confrontation with Scottish Rangers in the next round of the Champions League. Shouldn't we give some of the leaders a break, given the pre-match schedules, i.e. the 6-2 victory in the first match?
- I talked to Shovkovskyi about this very topic a couple of days ago. And I warned him against such thoughts, because all these rotations sometimes end badly. The season has just begun, the players need to play - and the more game practice they have, the better for them. I think that we need to use the same lineup in Belgrade that started in Lublin.
If someone needs a rotation, extra rest or, on the contrary, additional practice, the coaches now have the opportunity to make as many as five substitutions. This is enough to make certain changes in the team's lineup during the game.
I can't advise Shovkovsky on who to play and who not to play. He is the head coach and knows the team better from the inside. However, the prestige of Dynamo and the club's honor are at stake. Therefore, the result should come first.
- During your professional career, have there been any matches when you managed to win back the handicap of minus four goals?
- In mine - no. I don't remember it. However, in the history of world football, it definitely happened more than once. That's why I say: Dynamo players should be as serious as possible about the return leg, putting the result of the first game out of their minds.
- After the Partizan's defeat in Lublin, Dynamo was praised by everyone from fans to experts. There is a lot to be praised for, no question. But won't this play a cruel joke on Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's boys?
- I'll tell you this - now Dynamo need to prove in every game that the defeat of Partizan was natural, not accidental. In the first match, Dynamo played with great motivation. Everyone was focused on winning, charged up. They made every effort and won it. For 70-80 minutes, Shovkovsky's team played great football. We can praise them for that and for the bright victory, of course.
- So far, Dynamo has played only one official game, against Partizan. It's too early to draw conclusions, but. Did you personally like anyone?
- I wouldn't want to single anyone out, so that someone wouldn't be offended that I didn't mention them. However, I can note the level of play of Denys Popov, Mykola Shaparenko, who is being talked about and written about a lot now, Vladyslav Kabaev played well.
- Defender Taras Mykhavko and striker Matviy Ponomarenko have returned to Dynamo from the UEFA Youth Euro 2024 and are already with the team. Do the boys have a chance to play in Belgrade?
- I'll ask you a counter question: who are they supposed to replace?
- Mykhavko instead of Dyachuk, for example, and Ponomarenko to pair with Vanat.
- Taras and Matvey are very promising guys. If they weren't such talents, they wouldn't be playing for Dynamo. Both of them meet the requirements of an adult team. Both the coaching staff and the president follow and support them. They are the future not only of Dynamo, but also, I hope, of all Ukrainian football.
As for whether they will have playing time against Partizan... I don't know. As I said earlier, I would not change the winning lineup. Perhaps they will have the opportunity to come on as substitutes. You need to understand what their physical condition is now. Both are young and recover quickly, not like veterans like Andriy Yarmolenko. At their age, you can play almost every other day. I'm sure Shovkovskyi will analyze everything and decide whether Mikhavko and Ponomarenko will play or get some time to rest.
- A prediction from Leonid Buryak.
- Dynamo will not lose.
Viktor Hlukhenkyi
