Aris take on the visitors Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg of UEFA Conference League qualification semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, August 10th at Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium (Thessaloniki).
At the moment, Aris cannot be considered among the leaders of Greek football. Past accomplishments are long gone, and nowadays, it's nothing more than a mid-tier team in the league, to which it returned just 6 years ago. Having secured fifth place last season, the "War God" earned the right to play in the Conference League, from where they eliminated Yerevan's Ararat after drawing 1-1 in Armenia and winning 1-0 at home. During the offseason, the team played five friendlies, in four of which they conceded goals. They allowed 2 and 4 goals against Bulgarian CSKA and Israeli Maccabi Haifa, respectively. Aris lacked defensive reliability, and during the last season of the Greek championship, they conceded 41 goals in 36 matches.
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Dynamo Kyiv failed to make it to the podium for the first time in the modern history of Ukrainian football in the previous season. Nevertheless, Lucescu is once again at the helm of the team. Yarmolenko returned to his homeland. Kyiv, who began the championship season impressively, defeated Minai and Obolon 4-1 and 4-2 in the first two rounds. Out of five preseason friendlies, they didn't lose a single one, securing victories in four of them. They scored 20 goals in those matches. In four games, the Ukrainians recorded more than two successful shots on target. They even scored 8 goals against Austrian Wolfsberger. They also scored 3 against Young Boys and 4 against Aris, although not the Greek one, but the Cypriot team.
There's little doubt about Dynamo's progression to the next round. They are far more experienced on the European stage compared to the current Aris, highly motivated after a significant setback (by Kyiv club standards, at the level of the Ukrainian championship) last season in their quest for the main stage of European competitions. They won't sit back in defense to achieve their goal. Moreover, with Yarmolenko's return, their attacking lineup has grown stronger. Vanat is impressively efficient, Buyalskyi and Karavaev are performing well. Shaparenko is regaining form as well. Lucescu continues to trust Nigerian Benito, gradually integrating him into the starting lineup and using him as a substitute. I wouldn't be surprised if Dynamo manages to secure victory in the upcoming match. They will undoubtedly score a goal based on the available data. Then, when the Greeks attempt to lay siege to the Kyiv goal as the home team, a second goal might follow.
Prediction for the match: Dynamo Kyiv to score – yes.
