Second match in the Europa League: Dynamo vs. Universitatea

Today, Kyiv's Dynamo will play the second leg of the first qualifying round of the Europa League against Romanian Universitatea from Cluj. The first match, held in Lublin, Poland, ended in a 0:0 draw. Now all attention is focused on how the Kyivians will be able to capitalize on their chances to advance to the second round.

Problems with converting chances

Former Dynamo player and coach Yuriy Maksymov, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, noted one of the team's main problems in the first match — poor conversion of chances. According to him, out of 25 shots, only 6 were on target, and none of them resulted in a goal.

"Unfortunately, in the first match, the Dynamo players did not use their chances. If they had scored at least one goal, today would have been easier. By their nature, the first and second games will be completely different," Maksymov believes.

The psychological factor

The former footballer also emphasized that a non-productive attack could have a significant impact on the team's psychological state before the second match.

"The fact that the Kyivians did not convert many of their chances affects the team's psychological state. Chances do not arise constantly; there are matches where you only get one chance to score. And if you don't score your chances, of course, it will have its psychological consequences," Maksymov noted.

The home field and fans factor

In the expert's opinion, the team's own fans will have a significant influence on Universitatea's actions in this match. According to preliminary data, about 20,000 spectators will attend the Universitatea vs. Dynamo match.

"The Romanian team will be playing on their home field, the fans there are serious, they will push their team forward. Plus, 2-3 players who missed the first match because they were recovering from national team games will probably be able to help Universitatea," the former Dynamo player concluded.

Yuriy Maksymov's optimism

Despite all the difficulties, Yuriy Maksymov does not lose optimism and is convinced that the Ukrainian representative will advance to the second qualifying round of the Europa League after the two confrontations.

"Today it will be tough for Dynamo, but I am sure the Kyiv team will advance," Maksymov said.