Dinamo Kiev fired 44 shots in their recent ties against Univesitatea Cluj, and I expect them to be very active in the opponent half once again. BTTS is the best bet in Poland.
Key Stats
- Dinamo Kiev have seen BTTS & over 2.5 goals in 4 of their last 5 home matches.
- PAOK have seen BTTS in their last 9 matches (including pre-season).
- PAOK have seen over 3.5 goals in their last 5 matches (including pre-season).
Two Previous Meetings
These two sides locked horns in the European Cup in late 1976 and Dinamo Kiev won 6-0 on aggregate.
Dinamo Kiev Playing on Neutral Ground in Poland
Dinamo Kiev dominated pitch in the first Europa League appearance against Universitatea Cluj but wasted three clean goal opportunities, the game ending in a goalless draw.
An identical scenario was seen last week in Romania in the reverse tie, firing 17 shots while having higher possession 60% but once again failed to find the net. The match went to penalties where the Ukrainian side won 4-2.
They finished 4th in the Premier League last season but had great scoring numbers (66 goals in 30 matches), while the biggest achievement was winning the Ukrainian Cup against FC Chernihiv 3-1.
Lisci Set for His Debut
PAOK are coming off a disappointing season where three draws in the final three rounds of the Super League 1 pushed them down to 3rd place, meaning they will miss out on the UCL action, while also losing the Greek Cup finals to OFI Crete.
The Double-Headed Eagles parted ways with the head manager Razvan Lucescu and appointed Italian expert Alessio Lisci in early July.
They claimed three straight wins in pre-season friendlies under his leadership against Beveren 4-1, Westerlo 4-0 and AEK Larnaca 3-2, while losing to Twente 3-2 in the final tests game.
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Dinamo Kiev (4-3-3) Ruslan Neshcheret; Tomasz Kedziora, Kristian Bilovar, Taras Mykhavko, Vladyslav Dubinchak; Oleksandr Pikhalyonok, Volodymyr Brazhko, Mykola Shaparenko; Shola Ogundana, Nazar Voloshyn, Matviy Ponomarenko
Dinamo’s defender Vladyslav Zakharchenko will miss this match (ligament injury), while Reshat Ramadani and Mykola Mykhaylenko are doubtful.
Dinamo’s defender Vladyslav Zakharchenko will miss this match (ligament injury), while Reshat Ramadani and Mykola Mykhaylenko are doubtful.
PAOK (4-2-3-1) Jiri Pavlenka; Jonjoe Kenny, Jonathan Gomez, Giannis Michailidis, Lucas Taylor; Baptiste Santamaria, Christos Zafeiris; Andrija Zivkovic, Giannis Konstantelias, Dimitris Pelkas; Taha Ali
Shola Shoretire is the only sidelined player for the visitors, recovering from a knee injury.
Shola Shoretire is the only sidelined player for the visitors, recovering from a knee injury.