Greek syndrome, performance record and defense gaps: how Krasnodar approached the Champions League qualification

Chance to get three clubs in the Champions League

The current Champions League will be the last in the near future, when Russia will be able not only to declare, but to delegate three teams at once to the group round.

Krasnodar may join Zenit and Lokomotiv, which in the final qualifying round needs to overcome the resistance of the Greek PAOK in the final qualifying round.

Starting next season, domestic teams will again have two quotas until Russia returns to sixth place in the UEFA coefficient table.

Until now, the RPL bronze medalist has failed to break into the group stage through qualification.

Spartak and Krasnodar also had such a chance, but in the end they were defeated by Greek clubs and were content with the Europa League.

The red and whites could not cope with PAOK, and the bulls last season after a sensation in the confrontation with Porto were beaten by Olympiacos with a total score of 1: 6.

After that failure, which can be called the main failure in the history of the club, Murad Musaev's wards will have to meet with another Greek grandee, who, moreover, already has experience of victories over the Russians.

However, the southerners will no longer have other obstacles - a ticket to the main round of the Champions League will be played right now.

Krasnodar should have started from the third qualifying round and made their way to the playoffs along with their rival, but this year the RPL bronze medalist was lucky to go through one lap automatically.

The fact is that Sevilla became the winner of the Europa League, which has already made it to the Champions League through the national championship.

Her ticket automatically went to the French Rennes, and Krasnodar went up and will now play with PAOK, who had to beat Benfica last week.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the qualifying stages of European competitions consist of one match, but the playoff round was considered a more crucial stage, for which the traditional confrontation from home and away games was still preserved.

On the one hand, this creates additional difficulties for teams that already have a very busy schedule in their championships.

On the other hand, Krasnodar will have the right to make mistakes, which Dynamo lacked in its meeting with Lokomotiv Tbilisi.

Dangerous but empty PAOK

Whatever the temptation may be to look down on the team from Thessaloniki, Krasnodar should never do it.

The club, which belongs to the Russian businessman Ivan Savvidi, proved not only in the game against Benfica, which was the clear favorite of that meeting, but also in an unbeaten run of nine matches, lasting from July 1.

The main danger for Musaev's charges is left-back Dimitris Yannulis.

His flanking has already resulted in two goals against Benfica, and in just four games this season, he has earned four points on the goal + pass system.

18-year-old winger Christos Dzolis, who scored a double in the match against Besiktas at an earlier stage of the Champions League, is also playing there on the left.

Also on his account is the winning goal in the match of the first round of the championship of Greece with "Larisa".

The second PAOK scorer after the Greek scorer is Andrija Zhivkovic.

He recently moved from Benfica, but has already managed to score against the former team, and excel in the match with Atromitos, even if it ended in a draw.

At the same time, the Thessaloniki do not have a pure striker - quite recently they sold Chuba Akpom to Middlesbrough, leaving only with the young Pole Karol Svidersky.

Portugal's European champion Vieirinha and former Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch could have been the local stars, but they left the club early this season without renewing their contracts.

But on the other hand, Barcelona defender Moussa Vahe will soon join the squad.

The day before the first match with Krasnodar, PAOK rented out a 21-year-old Senegalese who has already played for the Catalans in the Champions League.

True, he will not have time to play in Russia, where he has already come to the World Cup, but he should be in the ranks for the return match.

By the way, not long ago in Thessaloniki there was a very serious representation of former RPL footballers.

Pontus Wernbloom, who left a bright mark on CSKA, and Mauricio, well-known to the fans of Akhmat and Zenit, played for him.

But in the summer, both left Greece.

Now only Sverrir Ingason, who has been with Rostov for a year and a half, is consistently playing for PAOK.

At one time, his goal deprived Krasnodar of two points in the Russian championship, and now the Icelander cements the defense of the club from Thessaloniki.

In the last five matches with his participation, the team conceded only two goals.

You can also remember the forward Leo Zhab, who played in Akhmat, but he almost never appears on the field.

Loud warning of Klasson and Suleimanov

The form in which Krasnodar is located was a mystery until recently.

Due to the break for the national teams and the coronavirus in Rotor, Musaev's charges played only one game in September.

But on the other hand, it was she who answered many questions, since in her the southerners gave themselves free rein and defeated Khimki with a score of 7: 2.

In that meeting, Krasnodar surprised by the choice of players for the starting lineup.

It included nine legionnaires at once, joined by goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and defender Sergei Petrov.

For Musaev, it was a great way to test the line-up, which can then be used in European competitions, and it paid off.

The foreigners have issued five goals, and there could have been more of them, if not for the injury of Ari, who will not have time to recover by the arrival of the Greeks.

At the same time, two conceded goals should have alerted the coaching staff.

Krasnodar missed the first of them during a counterattack, and this is the favorite way of PAOK to open the defense of the favorites.

In the second, there was a mistake by Tony de Villena, which led to the appointment of a penalty.

The return of Yuri Gazinsky after the indisposition should improve the defense of Krasnodar, but in general, it remains the team's weakest point.

In attack, one can again count on Viktor Klasson, who not only distinguished himself for the first time after a long break due to a knee injury, but also scored four points in the match against Khimki.

Magomed-Shapi Suleimanov also had a dry streak, which lasted almost a year, but it ended after his replacement.

Two extra performers, who can now be counted on, certainly add optimism ahead of the match with PAOK.