19:00 Dynamo Kiev – Rio Ave

The previous campaign was quite disappointing for Dynamo Kyiv, but there is a visible improvement in the performance of this team since the beginning of the new season.

The appointment of Serhiy Rebrov as a manager of Dynamo Kyiv in April was obviously the right decision for this club and now the hosts are not only one of the major favorites for the title in the Ukrainian Premier League, but also the team with biggest chances to finish atop of the standings in Group J of UEFA Europa League.

The reasons for my bet are actually two – even though they are currently atop of the standings in this group, the hosts still need three points to secure further participation in this tournament, especially before the visit in Bucharest in the last round.

Considering the current situation in this group, I expect, that Serhiy Rebrov will use the best possible lineup for this clash and I doubt, that the absence of Dragovic (D), Makarensko (D), Selin (D) and Harmash (M) will be so big problem for the home team – Makarensko, Selin and Harmash missed the previous four games in the group stage.

Rio Ave might not be the team with the lowest potential in this group, but the lack of experience in such tournaments is obvious and this team is already without chances for further progress in UEFA Europa League, after winning only one point from the previous four rounds.

The Portuguese team showed really poor play in defense in the previous four games in this group and now the motivation of the players is under question, especially ahead of the visit in Porto on Sunday.

The cold weather in Ukraine and the long distance could bring additional problems for Rio Ave.

The absence of important players like Gouano (D), Wakaso (M) and Tarantini (M) is another reason for my bet.

Dynamo took a 3-0 victory in the first match between these two teams in September, as the superiority of the Ukrainian team in that game was obvious.