Dynamo Kyiv – AEK Larnaca

Bookmakers overestimate Kiev club, who have plenty of problems

Dynamo Kyiv will take on AEK Larnaca in Krakow, Poland. So far, the Ukrainian club have not picked up a single point in the Europa League. Dynamo started the group stage with an away defeat against Fenerbahce (1-2). It was a shame for Mircea Lucescu's side to concede the decisive goal in regulation time. But they can't correct those mistakes. They need to gear up for the upcoming encounter of Matchday 2. This season, the Cypriot side started in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, where they lost to Denmark's Midtjylland in a hard-fought battle, before progressing through two rounds of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. In particular, AEK knocked out Ukraine's Dnipro 1 in the play-offs. However, the team disappointed their fans at the start of the group stage of the Europa League 2022/23. "The Yellow Greens lost at home to France's Rennes 1-2. Dynamo will face the team representing Cyprus for the first time in their history. It is worth noting that AEK, who were led by Spaniard Jose Luis Oltra in the summer, lost only one of their last eight away European games. Despite Dynamo's recent setbacks, bookmakers still regard the Ukrainian club as favourites. Mykola Shaparenko, the Kyiv team's central midfielder has been out of action for a long time after the match against Fenerbahce. Without this player the attacking potential of Lucescu's team will be seriously reduced. Goalkeeper Gheorghe Bouchan is also out injured. It is impossible not to mention the character of AEK. The Cypriot club players always fight to the last man. This team should not be underestimated, especially after the "yellow-green" performance in the Europa League qualifying, where they showed a very good side. On September 11, Dynamo finally secured their first win in the Ukrainian championship 2022/23. The capital club defeated Lviv (1-0). Those three points must lift the spirits of Lucescu's team, who had previously suffered one defeat after another. In the upcoming game the visitors are likely to play second choice. Dynamo must hold the initiative and lead the game. It is highly probable that the Kyiv side will have some problems with converting chances into goals. It's better to bet on the victory of AEK with a handicap (+1).