Kucher: We understand that the confrontation with AEK does not consist of one match

Mentor of SC Dnepr-1 Alexander Kucher commented on the upcoming match of the 1/16 finals of the Conference League with AEK. The coach of the Ukrainian team stressed that the opponent is in a better position.

“In general, all the guys feel good, but Luchkevich, Purita are injured, Adamiuk has injuries, and tomorrow morning we will see if he can play. Matarrita also has injuries and will not take part in the match tomorrow.”

“AEK performs very well in the domestic arena, except for the last match, when we played 1-1. They have good players, they are a very strong team that can play football and get positive results. We will have a very difficult game tomorrow.”

“We understand that AEK is the favorite for this match. The opponent is on the move, they continue the championship, while we are still on a break and we have not yet played official matches, and this game will only be the first of the year. Of course, it will be difficult for us, but we will give all our strength on the football field to get a positive result for us. We understand that the confrontation does not consist of one match, but there will be another return game. We need to be good both physically and mentally.”

The first playoff match of the Conference League between Dnipro-1 and AEK will be held in Larnaca on February 16. The meeting starts at 22:00 Kyiv time. The main arbiter of the meeting is Jacob Kehlet from Denmark.

The second leg, which will be home for Dnipro-1, will take place in Kosice, Slovakia. The meeting date is February 23rd.

Recall that the rivals have already met this season in the qualification of the Europa League. Then AEK beat Dnipro-1 twice – 2:1 and 3:0.