Dynamo Kyiv Hadapi Universitatea Cluj di Kualifikasi Liga Europa

Dynamo Kyiv bersiap menghadapi klub Rumania Universitatea Cluj dalam pertandingan leg pertama babak kualifikasi pertama Liga Europa di Arena Lublin, Polandia, pada Kamis, 9 Juli 2026.

Pertandingan ini menjadi momen krusial bagi kedua tim karena pemenang dari laga dua leg ini dijadwalkan akan bertemu dengan wakil Yunani, PAOK, pada babak kualifikasi kedua di akhir bulan Juli 2026.

Pelatih kepala Dynamo Kyiv, Ihor Kostyuk, menerapkan formasi 4-3-3 yang dipimpin oleh Pikhalyonok, sementara Universitatea Cluj di bawah asuhan Cristiano Bergodi menggunakan formasi 4-2-3-1 yang dipimpin oleh Chipciu.

Kondisi tim Dynamo Kyiv saat ini sedang pincang menyusul absennya sejumlah pemain pilar seperti Vladyslav Zakharchenko, Mykola Mykhaylenko, Reshat Ramadani, Roman Salenko, Vladyslav Kabaev, Osipenko, Popov, Lonveyk, dan Tymchyk akibat cedera dan operasi.

Kendati demikian, tiga pemain baru Dynamo Kyiv yaitu penjaga gawang Ilya Olkhovyi, bek kanan Tomasz Kedziora, dan penyerang Pierre Mounguengue yang direkrut gratis dari PSG dilaporkan tersedia untuk dipilih masuk ke dalam skuad.

Di sisi lain, Universitatea Cluj hanya kehilangan Alin Chintes yang mengalami cedera ringan, sedangkan delapan pemain baru mereka termasuk Andrei Coubis, Pedro Pinho, Alibek Aliev, Friday Adams, dan Marius Stefanescu siap untuk dimainkan.

Sebelum laga dimulai, pelatih Ihor Kostyuk sempat menyampaikan keluhannya mengenai situasi darurat di negaranya akibat serangan bersenjata yang terus berlangsung di ibu kota Kyiv.

"What kind of mood can we talk about when, for the third consecutive day, the aggressor has been shelling our country, and the capital in particular? Terrorists are killing civilians and destroying our homes. We must speak about this.

This is our reality now. We are grateful to our soldiers who are defending Ukraine, and we appreciate their heroism." kata Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.

Kostyuk kemudian menjelaskan rincian mengenai kondisi para pemainnya yang terpaksa absen dalam laga kualifikasi penting ini akibat menjalani operasi medis dan pemulihan cedera.

"Unfortunately, during the training camp we lost several players. Osipenko and Zackharchenko underwent surgeries; Popov is also out. Lonveyk has a micro-injury.

Kabayev and Tymchyk are recovering from previous injuries. They will not be able to help us tomorrow. Despite such losses, the team continues to prepare.

I think that tomorrow on the field you will see everything. Our opponent is a good, balanced team that deserves respect. We know that they finished second in the championship.

They are led by an Italian specialist, with whom they have begun to progress. We are well aware of Universitatea’s style of play and tactical schemes, how each player operates. But I believe in my team.

Everything will depend only on us –" ujar Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.

Mengenai kedatangan striker baru Pierre Mounguengue, Kostyuk mengungkapkan bahwa sang pemain sangat menyukai proyek pengembangan pemain muda di dalam tim.

"We spoke with Pierre when he came to Kyiv for his medical examination. He liked the fact that there are many young players in the team who came from the U19 squad. For him, the coach’s trust in young players is important. That played a significant role in his decision to join Dynamo." tutur Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.

Terkait risiko keamanan bagi pemain asing yang datang ke Kyiv, ia menegaskan bahwa seluruh elemen tim sudah memahami konsekuensi tersebut sejak awal penandatanganan kontrak.

"When signing a contract, the players understand these risks. We also understand these risks. This issue is discussed with the footballers during the contract signing, and they understand it very well." jelas Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.

Kostyuk juga menambahkan bahwa pertandingan uji coba melawan Rapid Bucuresti selama masa pemusatan latihan telah memberikan referensi taktik yang berharga bagi timnya.

"During the training camp, we played against teams with different styles and tactical approaches. I believe that the friendly against Rapid also gave us the necessary information to build our game against Universitatea." ungkap Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.

Saat ditanya mengenai strategi mengantisipasi efektivitas tendangan jarak jauh Universitatea Cluj yang menghasilkan 9 gol di kompetisi domestik, Kostyuk memberikan jawaban singkat.

"By keeping possession of the ball more." sebut Kostyuk, Pelatih Dynamo Kyiv.