Dnipro-1 – AEK: the first road to the Europa League

August 18 at 21:00. Football field in Kosice, Slovakia, Kosice. Playoffs LE.

Dnipro-1 begins its historic European Cup path. The Ukrainian club, which does not even have a UEFA club rating, will definitely play in European cups this year. AEK – in the Europa League – if it loses – it goes to the Conference League.

For Ukrainians, the upcoming match with AEK will be the first official match in the last eight months, so it will be interesting at least to see what Oleksandr Kucher’s team has become, whether there are enough men physically and psychologically. Despite the rumors, Dnipro-1 still kept the leaders in the team: he managed to strengthen it by signing Artem Dovbik, Alexander Nazarenko, Alexander Pikhalenok and even Argentine midfielder Domingo Blanco and others. Dnipro-1 did not shine in the pre-start test matches in European competitions, the team is getting more fit and trying to find its own game. Therefore, AEK, despite not having a huge name, could be a tough contender for the Dnipro team.

On their way to the league play-offs, the Cypriots defeated Denmark’s Midtjylland and then Serbian Partizan were eliminated from the tournament’s current draw.

The first legal bookmaker Parimatch Ukraine and partner SC “Dnepr-1” considers the Ukrainians the favorites of the first match. Dnipro’s coefficient of victory is 2.46. The odds of AEK are estimated at 2.95, a draw – 3.25. However, the Cypriots are the favorites to qualify for the Europa League group stage. The coefficient of their success after the results of a two-legged match is 1.59, and for Dnipro-1 it is 2.35.

SC “Dnepr-1” and AEK, created in 2017, of course, never met each other, but there is still a “Dnipro trail” in Larnaca. Portuguese Bruno Gama plays with the legendary Dnipro for the team that reached the Europa League final in the 2014/15 season. In fact, he remained in the midfield bench in that match, but this does not erase the memories. Gama, 34, only joined the AEK as a free agent in July 2022, but has helped the team get through the previous qualifying round, so it’s clear that he will be playing against Dnipro.

The first match of the match, hosted by the Ukrainian team, will be played in Kosice, Slovakia. One of the factors affecting the choice of location is the proximity to the Ukrainian border and the strong Ukrainian diaspora in Slovakia. Dnepr-1 counts on support.

Recharge on your own with Parimatch Ukraine. Cheer for the Ukrainian club in the European arena!