On August 15, the second leg of the UEFA Europa League qualifying match between Viktoria Plzen and Kryvbas will take place. A week ago in Košice, the Czech club proved to be stronger - 2:1. Former Ukraine and Kryvbas player Oleh Shelayev said that he could help Yuriy Vernydub's team take revenge:
- At the start of this season, Kryvbas lacks stability. Against Viktoria in Kosice and Karpaty in the UPL championship, Kryvyi Rih played well before the break, which cannot be said about the second 45 minutes. This led to a disappointing result.
- How can such metamorphoses be explained?
- It is possible that participation in the European Cups has forced the team to improve their fitness, and for some reason they are not yet in the right condition. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain why Kryvbas failed to start the second half in Kosice. Of course, such fluctuations are worrying, and we can only hope that the experienced manager Yuriy Vernydub will promptly rectify the situation. Moreover, he has qualified players under his command. "Kryvbas is one of the few Ukrainian clubs with a long bench. This competition for a place in the starting lineup should also be beneficial.
- What do you expect from today's match in Pilsen?
- Of course, there are certain concerns about whether Kryvyi Rih has fallen into a psychological "hole" after two defeats in a row. Moreover, their performance in the opening match against Chornomorets in the UPL also did not make a holistic impression. That is why it is very important that Kryvbas does not concede first today. Then it will be very difficult to break through, because Victoria knows how to be patient and wait for their chance. Moreover, if Kryvbas opens the scoring, its chances of moving on will increase dramatically. After all, the team has enough mobile players who can quickly switch from defense to offense. There is no doubt about it: the match will be tough for both teams.
Yuriy Ostroumov