Ukrainian legionnaires in the European spring: who to follow in the playoffs of European cups 2022/23

European cups are back today! The focus of Ukrainian attention, despite the loud league signs, shifted to Thursday. Shakhtar and Dnipro-1 will face difficult battles, we sincerely wish them a successful and long international season.

However, at the same time, let’s not forget that there are a lot of Ukrainian footballers scattered across Europe today. They are also in the compositions of some participants in the European Cup playoffs! The product is quite piecemeal, therefore – let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Champions League. Mikhail Mudrik (Chelsea)

Of course, we should start with the most sensational – and not only in Ukraine – transition of this winter. A record amount paid for a Ukrainian player. Of course, with such a price tag, Mikhail did not have a chance to be out of the Champions League application. True, for the sake of him (as well as the hype Enzo and the status Felix), the defender Badyashil was rolled – the main iron in the last matches. The decision is controversial. But what are we to him?

Nominally, Mikhail has a lot of competitors, the Chelsea roster is visually inflated to the point of obscenity. But in practice the situation is slightly different. Pulisic is injured. Sterling has just recovered from injury but is more commonly used on the right. Felix, as shown by the match against WHU, Potter sees in the role of APL / OF. Madueke is on the right, a rival to Ziyech. Mount is simply not a winger, and he has lost his form.

As we can see, there is trust in Mikhail. From game to game he gets more and more time. Another thing is the complexity of adaptation, interaction with partners is still extremely far from the optimum.

How far can Chelsea go in this league? Given the terrible situation in the championship, the question is not idle. The first rival – courageous, but unstable and adventurous Borussia – is quite tough. Further… Anything is possible. It is not the first time for aristocrats to shame forecasts and alignments, remember the teams of Tuchel, Di Matteo … Yes, and Grant in the same steppe.

• Opponent: Borussia D
• Pass chances: 60%*
• Chelsea’s odds of winning the tournament: 14 to 1* or 7% (7th result out of 16)

For comparison: the odds of Manchester City (bookmaker’s favorite) estimated at 38.5%

* Here and below: favbet odds

Champions League. Roman Yaremchuk (Club Brugge)

The second and last remaining Ukrainian (after the departure of Sobol) in the current draw of the main European Cup. Like Mudryk, the forward of the Ukrainian national team will get his chance to enter the field on Wednesday evening, February 15th.

Brugge made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in history, leaving Bayer and Atlético behind. Alas, the Ukrainian had little to do with this success – he played little under the previous coach.

The situation seemed to be favorable now. Scott Parker, who arrived on New Year’s Eve, uses a more convenient scheme for Yaremchuk (4-3-3), and regularly gives him chances (4 exits from the first minutes out of seven). Alas, Roman regularly fails them. His last effective action will soon be four months old … Maybe the motivation will work in the person of the upcoming rival – the club, in which Yaremchuk started the season?

It is very likely that very soon the Blue-Blacks will have to focus on the championship (and everything is sad there so far – fourth place with a huge lead over the first). They flew out of the Cup even under Hoefkens, and in the playoffs of the Champions League, Brugge is the main underdog.

• Opponent: Benfica
• Chances of passing: 23%
• Brugge’s odds of winning the tournament: 121 to 1 or 0.8% (worst of all)

LE. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)

In the entire Europa League, minus Shakhtar, there is only one Ukrainian. But what! Our glorious knight Alexander, the conqueror of the Premier League, the soul of any locker room, a mascot man.

At the same time, the football player is not the last – for nothing, or something, he was recognized Arsenal Player of the Year in January! Arsenal, which continues to confidently lead the Premier League, leaving – so far – with the nose got rid of Zinchenko City.

Let’s not draw intrigue: of the seven Ukrainian legionnaires we are talking about here, Zinchenko is the most realistic contender for the European Cup trophy. Another question is whether Arsenal will be killed in battles for an honorable but minor European Cup? In a season when the first championship in 19 years shines!

Another question is how abundantly the Ukrainian will use Arteta — in continental competitions. In the fall, Sasha missed almost the entire group stage due to injury, but he also started healthy from the bench. For the coach rotated the squad without hesitation, and not only Tierney, but also Holding, Tomiyasu, Lokonga, Vieira, Marquinhos received regular practice in the LE. And even Elneni with Nelson.

Opponent: yet unknown. The Gunners won their group, so they will enter the battle only at the ⅛ final stage (March 9 and 16).

Arsenal’s odds of winning the tournament: 5 to 1 or 20% (best along with Barcelona)

There are no more nominal Ukrainians in foreign clubs participating in the LE. But a few words about the ethnic Ukrainian, the defender of Mityulland Erica Sviatchenko (5 matches and even a goal in the Danish national team) is worth saying. The 31-year-old footballer, the son of a Ukrainian artist, remembers his roots. He recently organized an auction, the funds from which are intended for the Ukrainian army. Honor for this Eric and praise.

By the way, Svyatchenko has scored three goals this Euroseason. Not bad for a centre-back!

OK. Artem Gromov (AEK Larnaca)

The Conference League by Ukrainians is richer than other European cups. And not only at the expense of SC Dnepr-1. By the way, the naughty draw notably laughed at the leader of the UPL, for the second time during the season he was identified as rivals by the Cypriot AEK!

As a reminder, Dnipro lost no chance (according to the score) to the Yellow-Greens in the Europa League qualification — 1:2, 0:3. Then Gromov played a total of two and a half halves – and, obviously, managed to attract the attention of the Spanish coach Oltra. So AEK did not calm down on this, he also left Dynamo Kiev in the group with nothing!

Artem has just joined the club from Larnaca. I have already managed to play twice – both times at the base, on average for an hour, without noticeable achievements. It is obvious that Dnipro did not hold on to him too much – in half a year, the age winger / forward in all tournaments only 5 times went to the base, did not play a single match in full, made 1 + 2 in the championship. The new club, it seems, will play more consistently. Here is the smart one.

What is surprising: despite the August 1:5, it is Kucher’s team that is the favorite of the next confrontation with AEK. Gentlemen bookmakers definitely know something!

• Opponent: SC Dnepr-1
• Chances of passing: 44%
• AEK’s chances of winning the tournament: 65 to 1 or 1.5% (20-22 out of 24)

OK. Maxim Koval (Sheriff)

Here is amazing: under Vernydub, there were no Ukrainian football players in Sheriff. But after his departure, one appeared. Specifically, under the new coach Stepan Tomas (ex-defender of the Croatian national team, participant in two World Cups).

In the Moldovan Championship, Koval, who had previously spent four seasons in the hearty Saudi Pro League, plays every other time. But it was the main one in the group stage of the Europa League: five matches, two of them went to zero (in fact, two dry wins over Omonia allowed the Wasps to continue the European season).

Since January, Sheriff has a new coach – Italian Roberto Bordin. Maxim needs to click on the caret and start from a new line. His competitors are the same age (30 years old) Dumitru Čelyadnik, a deaf substitute under Athanasiadis.

Domestic tournaments for the Yellow-Blacks will resume only in March. Apparently, due to the long absence of practice, the representative of Moldova is not considered the favorite of his next European Cup duel.

For the sake of fairness: from the winners of Shakhtar and Madrid, there are only one and a half people left in this team. The whole gang fled across the prairies in a year!

• Opponent: Partizan
• Pass chances: 40%
• Sheriff’s chances of winning the tournament: 30 to 1 or 3.3% (11 out of 24 results)

Our list could be continued by another ex-goalkeeper of Dynamo, moreover, the same age as the previous hero. It’s about Arthur Rudkowhich is still listed in the Poznan Lech … But he did not get into the club’s application for the upcoming round of the playoffs of the Conference League.

Rudko last summer moved from Cypriot Paphos (where he was the main for three years) Metalist … And immediately formalized the transfer to the Polish champion. At first, everything went well there. Artur played 4 matches in a row in the qualification of European competitions (in one of them he conceded 5 goals). Then he got injured … And turned out to be a hopeless understudy for Philip Bednarek.

In the new year, there is no place for a 30-year-old Ukrainian even in the reserve. There, instead of him, there is a winter newcomer, the Slovak Golets. He is in the European Cup application.

In January, rumors circulated about an early termination of the lease Rudko. It probably will. Recently, the Israeli Beitar claimed the Ukrainian, but something did not work out. Arthur will always have time to return to the UPL. The transfer window is still open in many countries.

Gio Tsitaishvili, also loaned from Ukraine, definitely remains Lech’s player. Semi-primary, 1+2 for the whole season, he hasn’t played in the new year yet… And the coach there is a suddenly high-profile Jon van den Brom. For many years he coached AZ, took trophies with Anderlecht and Genk.

Since we are talking about the Ukrainian trace in the “youngest” European tournament. 36-year-old Jaba Kankava (together with two more Georgians and one Armenian) is dusting for Bratislava Slovan. And for CFR Cluj, Lovro Cvek runs with dignity.

But we digress. For a snack we had…

OK. Igor Plastun (Ludogorets)

An experienced central defender spends the second season in a row for the club and the fourth in total (recall, he had a three-year absence in Gent, in company with Yaremchuk (at first) and Bezus). In total, Ludogorets has already played about one and a half hundred matches.

Ante Simunja (remember this Slovenian striker, did he play for Maribor against Dynamo?) is a supporter of rotation. He consistently trusts Igor in the championship (only four missed rounds out of 19), but at the same time, out of 8 league matches (including qualifications), he let him play in only one. Will this practice continue into the playoffs of the Conference League? We’ll find out soon.

By the way. Is it worth continuing to consider Plastun a full-fledged Ukrainian? Various resources, including quite authoritative ones, attribute to him a second, Bulgarian citizenship. And a citizen of Ukraine, as we know, cannot officially have two passports. In the national team, if anything, the 32-year-old defender has not been called up since the fall of 2020.

Plastun could play against Mikhailichenko as early as next Thursday. If he had stayed in Anderlecht, and not gone to Shakhtar. In general, Bogdan still belongs to the club from the Belgian capital, and plays for the Orange-and-Blacks on loan.

• Opponent: Anderlecht
• Chances of passing: … SC Dnipro-1 is in fifth place from the bottom. And the main underdog is the aforementioned Lekh. Even with Rudko, even without him.44%
• Chances of Ludogorets to win the tournament: 65 to 1 or 1.5% (20-22 out of 24)

PS If anyone is interested, the main favorite of the current Conference League draw is West Ham, which has already parted ways with Yarmolenko. Next come Villarreal, Lazio, Braga, Fiorentina, AZ, Nice.