Dynamo vs. Arsenal Preview

When club president Ihor Surkis was asked in an interview about Dynamo’s goals for the 2008 campaign, he replied, “Same as always – the League and the Cup,” neglecting to mention his expectations for the team in European competitions. Surkis can be forgiven for sidestepping the issue, with preliminary rounds still to be played and Dynamo’s forgettable performance in the 2007/2008 Champions League. But there is no denying that for the fans, the barometer of Dynamo Kyiv has always been how the club stacks up against other top European sides.

Dynamo has not fared well against English opposition in Champions League play, but Arsenal has been the one opponent they’ve managed to get the better of over the years. While compiling a 0-6-2 record against English clubs not named Arsenal, Dynamo earned two wins and a draw to go with one loss in four group stage encounters with the Londoners. In 1998 Dynamo took four points from two matches against the reigning English champions en route to the Champions League semi-finals. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was impressed enough with the Kiev outfit that in the offseason he plucked defender Oleg Luzhny for four years of service at Highbury.

Luzhny is now Dynamo’s assistant coach, and possesses a unique perspective on the two sides as they prepare to open Group G play Wednesday in Kiev. While only Kolo Toure remains from his old Arsenal teammates, the man at the helm of the Gunners is still the same and so is the club philosophy of playing attractive football. Ever the optimist, Luzhny believes his squad is up to the challenge, going as far as to say that Dynamo “must” beat Arsenal at home.

Luzhny did not make the trip to Blackburn over the weekend along with the rest of Dynamo’s staff, staying behind to oversee the 0-5 victory over OLKOM in the Ukrainian Cup. What he missed, and what head coach Yuri Semin certainly saw, is that this may be a bad week to play Arsenal. After watching the Gunners dismantle the Rovers 0-4 on Saturday, Semin has this to say:

Arsenal were in complete control the entire match. They scored four goals but missed numerous opportunities for more. Wenger’s team played effortlessly and seemed to really enjoy their football. They have many technically gifted young players. Blackburn had no chance.

Semin added that he was most impressed with Arsenal’s positioning and teamwork. He said that weekend hat-trick hero Emmanuel Addebayor will not be assigned a personal minder, but assured that wherever the Togolese striker goes he will encounter a Dynamo defender.

Key Player, Dynamo: Ayila Yussuf. If there’s one Dynamo player Arsene Wenger wishes he could add to his squad, it would be the 23 year old Nigerian midfielder. Arsenal’s major discernible weakness is lack of strength in the middle of the pitch. If Dynamo is to get a result on Wednesday Yussuf will have to impose his will on Cesc Fabregas and Co.

Key Player, Arsenal: Theo Walcott. The teenage winger possesses the sort of pace that Dynamo’s back four does not encounter in the Ukrainian Premier League. Walcott’s exploits on the flanks draw defenders and create space in the middle for the likes of Adebayor and Robin van Persie. Dynamo’s defenders have to limit his impact to a minimum if they hope to keep the Gunners off the scoreboard. Left back Badr El Kaddouri, out through suspension, will be sorely missed.

Prediction: Dynamo 3 – 1 Arsenal. I expect an open game with plenty of chances for both teams. With the score level at one after 75 minutes, William Gallas’s defensive lapse will gift Dynamo the lead, and Oleksandr Aliyev will score the third to put the finishing touch on a famous Dynamo victory!

Category: Champions League 2008/2009, Dynamo Kyiv Team News