Dynamo Kyiv will take on RB Salzburg in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Wednesday, 21 August with both clubs looking for a big result to edge closer to the new-look league stage of the Champions League.
Both teams have already been in Champions League action this season which will make them hungrier than most for the win this week. Dynamo Kyiv have navigated two previous rounds to reach it this far while RB Salzburg have played one previous qualifier.
Dynamo Kyiv are having to play this match in Poland due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine so home advantage will be virtually non-existent on Wednesday night.
How the bookies view it: A tough match to call
The Bookies are unsure of how this one will go and as a result, they have priced all three results fairly similarly. A win for Dynamo Kyiv has been priced at 7/4 by Betfred while RB Salzburg are considered the marginal favourites at 7/5. The draw, which would likely be welcomed by both managers, has been priced at 12/5.
Recent head-to-head: A first-ever meeting
Given both teams have played more than 500 matches in Europe between them, it may come as a shock to learn that this is the first time they have played against each other. Dynamo Kyiv have a richer history than RB Salzburg in UEFA competitions as two-time Cup Winners' Cup winners. The Austrians' best result in Europe came in 1994 when they reached the UEFA Cup final.
Players to watch: Experience vs youth
Dynamo Kyiv will lean on their experienced players on Wednesday night and they don't come much more experienced than Andriy Yarmolenko. The former West Ham winger is regarded as one of the best Ukrainian footballers of his generation and has now played 100 matches in UEFA competitions.
Yarmelenko may be 34 years of age but is still capable of moments of brilliance and his team will be hoping for a couple more over the next week. He has already scored twice in qualifying so far and netted his first league goal of the campaign at the weekend.
RB Salzburg, meanwhile, will be looking for their young players to stand up and be counted. Maurits Kjaergaard will be the first name on the team sheet in midfield and he has the talent to cause damage to Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old has scored three goals in qualifying so far.
Predicted line-ups
Oleksandr Pikhalyonok came off the bench to score against Rangers in the last round of qualifying and will now be hoping for a start against RB Salzburg. Injuries will prevent RB Salzburg from lining up with their best starting XI as Karim Konate, their top scorer last season, is one of four first-team players ruled out of this one.
Dynamo Kyiv: Bushchan – Karavaev, Popov, Mykhavko, Vivcharenko – Shaparenko, Brazhko Yarmolenko, Pikhalyonok, Kabayev – Vanat
RB Salzburg: Blaswich – Dedic, Baidoo, Piatkowski, Terzic – Bidstrup, Gourna-Douath, Kjaergaard – Gloukh, Nene, Yeo
Anything else catch the eye?
A total of nine goals were scored across RB Salzburg's last qualifying round against FC Twente. Meanwhile, a total of 15 goals have been scored across Dynamo Kyiv's four Champions League matches so far this season. Over 2.5 goals to be scored is priced at 8/13 with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Dynamo Kyiv and RB Salzburg will be played on Aug 21, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Dynamo Kyiv vs RB Salzburg prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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