The head coach of Kyiv Dynamo, Ihor Kostiuk, held a pre-match press conference ahead of the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Europa League against Greek club PAOK. The coach of the 'white-and-blues' shared his conclusions following the first match, assessed the team's chances, and recalled his experience facing this opponent back in 2019.

Past experience and atmosphere in Greece

Kostiuk admitted that he has faced PAOK before — back then he was in charge of Dynamo's U-19 youth team. According to him, playing in Greece is always accompanied by a special, heavy atmosphere. 'At that time, we won 3-0 in Kyiv, but here we conceded two goals in the first half. The atmosphere also stands out: bottles, lighters were thrown at our heads — everything. We couldn't leave the stadium for two hours,' the coach said.

He added that he expects similar pressure in the upcoming match but emphasized that the team is ready for it.

Analysis of the defeat in Lublin

The coach of the 'white-and-blues' noted that the coaching staff has analyzed in detail the reasons for the defeat in the first match in Lublin (2:3). 'First of all, we felt the quality of the players who used our mistakes well. What we planned — not to give the opponent space, while using our own chances — worked. But the mistakes made in transitional phases played a key role in the match,' explained Kostiuk.

Squad situation ahead of the decisive match

Vladyslav Kabayev has returned to the main group and is training with the team. Oleksandr Tymchyk and Mykola Mykhaylenko remained in Lublin, where they continue their recovery on an individual program.

Optimism and belief in success

Despite the negative result of the first game, the Kyiv camp remains optimistic and believes that the final intrigue in the duel is not yet exhausted. 'We analyzed the mistakes in transitional phases. The team showed character in the first game when they scored one goal and had the chance to score another. An interesting match awaits us. Only the first half is behind us, and nothing is impossible,' Kostiuk concluded.

Details of the upcoming match

The match PAOK — Dynamo will take place on Thursday, July 30, in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. Kick-off is at 20:45.

Earlier, Zhytomyr's Polissya suffered a disappointing defeat against Copenhagen and were eliminated from the Conference League.