Metalist – Dynamo: Round Three

A place in the last eight of the UEFA Cup is at stake today when Dynamo take on their Ukrainian rivals Metalist in Kharkiv. The teams will square off for the third time in three weeks, with the Kiev club having come out victorious in the first two meetings. The 1-0 triumph at Lobanovsky Stadium last Thursday gives Dynamo an advantage to hold on to going into this second leg, but Yuri Semin’s side know the job is far from done. For their part Metalist will try to break the string of disappointing results that has dropped them out of a Champions League spot in the UPL table.

After consecutive wins over Sampdoria to start the second half of the season, Myron Markevych’s side have been in a free fall, with three losses and a draw from their next four matches. The standings in the Ukrainian championship have regained a familiar look after Shakhtar Donetsk came away with a 3-0 victory in Kharkiv over the weekend, lifting the Miners into second place. It is indeed a battle for second in the UPL, as Dynamo widened their advantage at the top to a comfortable twelve points. The Kiev club fell behind in the opening minutes to Metalurh Zaporizhya when the host’s Olexiy Hodin beat his former teammate Stanyslav Bohush with an unstoppable strike from some 30 yards out. After Dynamo failed to find a rhythm in the first half, Semin made the necessary adjustments, including the introductions of Milos Ninkovic and Artem Kravets immediately after the break. It was Ninkovic who was sent clear by Artem Milevskiy’s brilliant run and pass, and the Serbian midfielder rounded the keeper and leveled the score on the hour mark. The momentum was firmly with Dynamo after that, and it was not long before Kravets set up Milevskiy for a neat close range finish to put the visitors in front. Semin’s third substitute, Carlos Correa, made it 3-1 just minutes later as Dynamo coasted to their fourth straight victory. They are unbeaten in the new year, something Metalist will have to change if they hope to continue their own European quest.

Dynamo will be without suspended midfield linchpin Ognjen Vukojevic today, but if there is one thing the Kiev side has proven this season it is that they have the depth to overcome the loss of key players. Andriy Nesmachniy and Badr El Kaddouri will be back from their own yellow card troubles to bolster the Dynamo defense. And with Ismael Bangoura and Ayila Yussuf returning to fitness, Semin has more weapons at his disposal than at any time in the past year. If Yussuf is ready the Nigerian would be the natural replacement for Vukojevic, but if not then Correa, El Kaddouri, Roman Eremenko or even the lost in the shuffle Serhiy Kravchenko or Tiberiu Ghioane could fill the role in a pinch. Personally I would like to see Yussuf at center back which should require less of a work load, with Correa and Eremenko patrolling the middle of the park. Up front Kravets’s recent run of form, which has lead to his inclusion in Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko’s national team, should earn him the start alongside Milevskiy. Bangoura’s availability gives Dynamo Ukraine’s leading goalscorer as its ace up the sleeve.

Dynamo’s strength is their opponent’s weakness, as having to battle on multiple fronts has clearly taken a toll on Metalist. With no obvious replacement for suspended left back Seweryn Gancarczyk, and without injured midfielder Oleksandr Rykun, this Kharkiv team will need nothing short of miracle to overcome the runaway train that is Dynamo. A goal by the visitors would end the match for all intents and purposes, and Markevych will somehow have to keep his defense organized as his side tries to level the aggregate scoreline. If the hosts manage to score first they will still be in danger of being sunk by an away goal, and I just don’t see Metalist being able to keep Dynamo off the scoreboard. Prediction: Metalist 1-2 Dynamo (1-3 agg).

Category: UEFA Cup 2008/2009

Tags: Andriy Nesmachniy, Artem Kravets, Artem Milevskiy, Ayila Yussuf, Badr El Kaddouri, Carlos Correa, Champions League, Dynamo Kyiv Dinamo Kiev, Ismael Bangoura, Metalist Kharkiv, Metalurh Zaporizhya, Milos Ninkovic, Myron Markevych, Ognjen Vukojevic, Oleksandr Rykun, Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko, Olexiy Hodin, Roman Eremenko, Sampdoria, Serhiy Kravchenko, Seweryn Gancarczyk, Shakhtar Donetsk, Stanyslav Bohush, Tiberiu Ghioane, UEFA Cup 2008/2009, Yuri Semin

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