Dynamo Kyiv take on the visitors Maccabi Tel Aviv in the second leg of UEFA Europa League Qualification final round. First leg result: 1-3. The match will be played on Thursday, August 28th at Motor Lublin Arena (Lublin).
Dynamo Kyiv will largely decide what comes next for them. The “White-Blues” had long been stuck behind Shakhtar and at times even lost their usual second place. But the legendary former goalkeeper, one of Lobanovskyi’s last protégés, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, managed to restore the club’s lost positions after becoming head coach. Moreover, last season Dynamo won the UPL, going the entire campaign unbeaten. Still, questions arose: was this a sign of their strength and class, or the result of a decline in competition, especially Shakhtar, who finished third — their lowest spot in two decades. Shakhtar, however, did lift the cup that season. Doubts only deepened in summer when, after confidently beating Hamrun Spartans in the Europa League, Dynamo twice lost “to nil” against Pafos and crashed out. Following that exit, even though they have started the domestic season with wins, rumors about Shovkovskyi’s dismissal have been growing. Recent league victories looked far from convincing, and defensive errors have been a recurring theme. If the Kyiv side doesn’t raise their level in Europe, pressure on the manager will only intensify.
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Maccabi Tel Aviv are doing their best to retain the status of national leaders. They claimed both the league title and the cup in the past two seasons. However, their post-summer start was highly unsuccessful. There was the Super Cup defeat to Hapoel, followed by a painful Europa League loss… to Pafos! On Cyprus they managed a draw, and naturally expected to advance. But in the return match, first their main goalkeeper was injured, then his substitute was sent off early — no surprise they lost 0-1 while playing with ten men. After that, though, they had no issues eliminating another former Dynamo opponent, Hamrun Spartans. And just last week, once again nominally at home, they claimed a comfortable 3-1 victory. The team looks sharper now in attack, with their wingers finally finding form. Even defensively, they have tightened up compared to the disastrous August run.
In the Europa League group stage back in 2011, both matches ended in draws. Four years later, in the Champions League, Dynamo won both encounters. Dynamo are considered favorites. But given their current form, the visitors are unlikely to lose this one.
Prediction for the match: Maccabi Tel Aviv not to lose (X2).
