Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Europe League – Preview

Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Europe League – Preview

Mark Temnycky –

Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Thursday, 25 February 2021 – 20:00 GMT/21:00 CEST – Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium

The second leg of the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League’s Round of 32 will be played on Thursday, 25 February, as Club Brugge host Dynamo Kyiv in Bruges.

Club Brugge took a slender lead after the first leg of this tie, where the match ended 1-1. Despite the away goal rule, the two sides were fairly even throughout the match. Brugge barely edged Dynamo in possession, chances created, passes completed, and number of successful passes. Coincidentally, both clubs also only had one shot on target during the entire match, and both of these shots resulted in goals.

Brugge will now look to end the tie as they host the second leg. The Belgians previously defeated Dynamo 1-0 during the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League’s qualification stages, and then they drew the Ukrainians away in Kyiv 3-3. To date, Brugge are still undefeated against Dynamo. History will be on Brugge’s side as they enter the second leg of this Europa League tie.

The Belgians cannot be complacent, however, as they head into this match. While they hold a slender lead, this tie is still very open for grabs, and both clubs will look to advance to the competition’s Round of 16. Brugge have the experience in their squad to achieve this feat, but they will need to deliver on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Dynamo Kyiv have become their own worst enemy on yet another occasion. While Brugge dominated many of the statistics throughout the match, Dynamo were the side that opened the score in the first leg of this tie. After taking the lead, the Ukrainians failed to capitalize on their fortune. Ukrainian goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan would later mistime Brugge’s delivery from a dangerous cross, and this resulted in Brugge’s away goal.

Dynamo Kyiv have struggled in European competitions this season, where they won only one of their six UEFA Champions League group stages matches. While they were paired with Juventus, Barcelona, and Ferencváros, they failed to record convincing performances in the majority of these matches. The same can be said about the first leg of this Europa League tie.

Dynamo Kyiv certainly have the talent to defeat Brugge in the second leg of this tie, but the Ukrainians will have to demonstrate that they are capable of achieving such a feat. Dynamo will hope to overcome these bad omens as they try to advance to the Europa League’s Round of 16 this season.

Will Brugge continue their unbeaten run against Dynamo? Or will the Ukrainians finally get the better of the Belgians?

Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Players to Watch:

Ruud Vormer #25 – Club Brugge

Club Brugge’s Ruud Vormer is seen as a club hero, having played for Brugge since 2014. The club’s captain has consistently put in a strong performance in central midfield, and he will aim to put in a similar performance in this Europa League match. Vormer previously helped his club defeat Dynamo during the UEFA Champions League’s qualification stage during the 2019/20 season. He will look to help his club eliminate Dynamo from yet another competition.

Viktor Tsygankov #15 – Dynamo Kyiv

Dynamo Kyiv’s current talisman Viktor Tsygankov was quiet during the first leg of this tie. The young midfielder has typically been named as the successor to Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko for Dynamo, and the second leg of this Europa League tie would be a perfect match for Tsygankov to demonstrate his worth. Can the young Ukrainian help his team advance to the Europa League’s Round of 16?

Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Match Statistics:

  • The first leg of this tie ended 1-1 in Kyiv. Club Brugge hold a slender lead over Dynamo Kyiv due to the away goal rule.
  • Club Brugge’s Cisse Sandra is out injured and will not feature in this match. Stefano Denswil, Matej Mitrović, and Hans Vanaken have contracted the coronavirus and they are quarantining away from the club.
  • Dynamo Kyiv are without the injured Mykyta Burda, Volodymyr Kostevych, and Tudor Baluta.

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – 1-0

Club Brugge vs Dynamo Kyiv – Possible Lineups:

Club Brugge

Formation: 4-3-2-1

Mignolet – Mata, Kossounou, Mechele, Ricca – Álvarez, Vormer, Dirar – De Ketelaere, Badji – Dost

Manager: Philippe Clement

Dynamo Kyiv

Formation: 4-3-3

Bushchan – Kędziora, Zabarnyi, Popov, Mykolenko – Shaparenko, Sydorchuk, de Pena – Tsygankov, Besyedin, Buyalskyi

Manager: Mircea Lucescu

Mark Temnycky is an AIPS accredited journalist who covers the Ukrainian men’s national team and Ukrainian clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for the Futbolgrad Network. Follow him @MTemnycky

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