Vitaliy Buyalskiy, captain of Kyiv's Dynamo, shared his expectations ahead of the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Europa League against Greek side PAOK. The midfielder spoke about the team's condition, adaptation to the climate, and the opponent's characteristics.
Support without a designated away section
Due to Dynamo declining their ticket quota, the team will not have an official away section at the stadium in Thessaloniki. However, Buyalskiy is confident this will not be a problem for the Kyivians. According to him, the Ukrainian diaspora in Greece has already welcomed the team, and the players will feel the fans' support.
"Regarding pressure — as a rule, the team playing at home experiences more pressure than the guests. We have nothing to lose, nothing to fear. We will go out and, I hope, demonstrate our best game. So everything is in our hands," emphasized the Dynamo captain.
Adaptation to heat and physical readiness
The transition from cool Lublin (+13°C) to hot Thessaloniki (+31°C) could have been a test for the players, but the team arrived in Greece two days before the match. This allowed the footballers to adapt to the new weather conditions.
"In Lublin, we prepared under different weather conditions. However, we arrived here two days before the match, so we had time to acclimatize. In my opinion, the team is functionally very well prepared, so we are looking forward to an interesting match. We will definitely be in good physical shape," noted Buyalskiy.
Assessment of the opponent and tactics
PAOK is known for its aggressive defensive play, which did not go unnoticed by the Dynamo captain. Buyalskiy admitted that the opponent plays very organized and tough, but emphasized that the Kyivians have made changes to their game to counter this.
"From what I noted for myself — PAOK plays very well and aggressively in defense. But we will change something in our game. You will see everything on the field," summarized the midfielder.
The first match and prospects
In the first match, which was formally considered a home game for Dynamo due to restrictions, the Kyivians lost with a score of 2:3. Now the team must fight back in the return leg, which will take place on Thursday, July 30, in Thessaloniki. Kick-off is at 20:45 local time.
Previously, another Dynamo player, Ihor Kostyuk, also spoke about the pressure before the game in Thessaloniki. He also noted the psychological load associated with the need to fight back away from home.
The return match will be decisive for Dynamo in the fight to reach the Europa League play-offs. The team will look for a balance between attack and defense to avoid repeating the mistakes of the first match and use all chances for success.
