Famous Ukrainian coach Oleg Fedorchuk — on the opening matches of Ukrainian clubs in the Conference League.
— The silver medalist of the UPL "Oleksandriya" is also set to play against the holder of second place in their championship, Serbian "Partizan". How big are the chances for the Ukrainians here?
— It is very difficult to predict since "Oleksandriya" has lost its head coach, several key players have left, but the most important thing is that we do not know the capabilities of the new coach. Probably, Kyrylo Nesterenko himself doesn’t know this yet, as he has not worked independently before. For me, "Oleksandriya" is currently a mystery team. It is hard to predict the starting lineup, who will be the leader is also hard to say, and to forecast the concept of the new coach is even more difficult. It’s important that the coach does not burn out. However, the opponent is not a heavyweight for the Ukrainian team. In their championship, "Partizan" finished second, but they were 23 points behind "Crvena Zvezda"...
— Is "Oleksandriya" a mystery team for the Ukrainian championship as well?
— Absolutely. I think if the team finds itself in the top six by the end of the season, that would be a success for them.
— What is your prediction for this confrontation?
— Overall, I prefer "Partizan", but the first match, so to speak, at home for "Oleksandriya", will end in a draw — 1:1.
— "Polissya" was waiting for "Borac" as an opponent, but Andorran "Santa Coloma" surprised them by defeating their opponent. Does this make life easier for Zhytomyr?
— Of course. In my opinion, this opponent is much weaker than Maltese "Hamrun", against whom "Dynamo" played. I do not know what happened to "Borac" in the first match, but in the return leg the Bosnians slightly fell short of taking the game to extra time and pressuring their opponent.
According to our standards, "Santa Coloma" is at the level of our first league and not from the upper part of the standings. And considering that "Polissya" has strengthened not only with the coaching staff but also with some decent players, I think, more accurately, I’m sure that the Ukrainian team should overcome this qualification round without much trouble. I’ll say more; the competition in "Polissya" is now higher than in "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar". I won’t say that there is a super high level of players there, but there are enough worthy performers for Ruslan Rotan. It is important that the Zhytomyr side does not underestimate the opponent.
— According to your words, can "Polissya" become the third force in the UPL?
— Yes. I do not rule out that the team can squeeze between our two giants. I have a feeling that the situation in the championship may change. "Dynamo" has behaved passively in the transfer market. The Kyiv team got through last season, but that won’t happen again. "Polissya" is now playing the role of "Metalist" under Myron Markevych, when the Kharkiv team was not ready for the championship but claimed for the second place.
— In the first match "Polissya" — "Santa Coloma", who will you put your money on?
— Definitely on the Ukrainian team. The score? 2:0. Although I do not rule out a rout.
— If we look globally, which of our representatives in the Europa League and the Conference League do you see in the third qualifying round?
— No offense to "Oleksandriya", but it will be extremely difficult for them to get past "Partizan". It will be hard for "Shakhtar" as well, but I see both the miners and the Zhytomyr team in the next round of the competition.
Returning to the Alexandrians, I find it hard to understand the club management that allowed the departure of the coaching staff and key footballers. Aside from "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar", no one works towards the long term perspective. They delivered a great season, and now they are resting. The footballers choose individual contracts; they do not believe they can shine in European competitions and be in demand by a strong European club.
Serhiy Demyanchuk