Beşiktaş vs Dynamo Kyiv could be a decisive game in the still young career of Dynamo Kyiv manager, Serhiy Rebrov. Rebrov has come under fire in the Ukrainian media following a string of poor results both in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Champions League.
On August 27, Dynamo lost to Vorskla Poltava, and then drew Shakhtar Donetsk in a tightly fought affair in Kharkiv on September 9. Next came a 1-2 defeat to Napoli on match day one of the Champions League, and then a defeat to Zorya Luhansk on September 18.
Ukraine’s Tribuna, for example, has started a poll in which readers can vote whether or not Dynamo Kyiv owner Ihor Surkis should fire the manager. By the time of writing, readers have responded in favour of Rebrov, and are of the opinion that Surkis should not fire the manager at the moment.
Ihor #SURKIS: “The team wants to end unlucky streak as soon as possible” https://t.co/YizWzRHw8S pic.twitter.com/50pYH5tJnV
— FC Dynamo English (@dynamokyiven) September 23, 2016
But public opinion can easily be swayed, and Rebrov’s future will depend on the upcoming matches. Dynamo faced Olimpik Donetsk on Saturday, and as expected easily dispatched the club, and are now travelling to Istanbul to face Beşiktaş in what now appears to be a must-win match for Rebrov.
While the match against Olimpik was a shoe-in for Dynamo Kyiv Beşiktaş, it will provide a serious challenge to Rebrov’s men. Beşiktaş drew Benfica Lisbon 1-1 on match day one, courtesy of a sensational last gasp free kick by the Brazilian midfielder Talisca, who curiously is on loan at the club from Benfica.
Indeed, Beşiktaş, which have never before managed to get out of the group stage of the Champions League, have now emerged as another serious challenger behind Napoli to come into view as one of the two teams from Group B.
After managing to qualify for the round of 16 last season, Dynamo are expected to repeat the feat once again this year (read our Champions League preview on Dynamo Kyiv here). After losing to Napoli on match day one, Dynamo are now under pressure to gain a victory in Istanbul, not just to save Rebrov’s job, but also to avoid falling behind the competition in Group B.
The pressure aside, history favors on Dynamo, however, as the Ukrainians have won five out of eight meetings between the two clubs. For Dynamo, the hope is that their good fortune against Beşiktaş continues, but past statistics are just that, and the likeliest result will be a draw, as Rebrov will probably continue his struggle to string together a series of good results for his club.
Possible Line-ups
Beşiktaş:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Fabricio – Erkin, Tosic, Marcelo, Gönül – Hutchinson, Inler – Sahan, Talisca, Quaresma – Tosun
Manager: Senol Günes
Dynamo Kyiv:
Formation: 4-3-3
Shovkovskyi – Makarenko, Vida, Khacheridi, Silva – Buyalsky, Rybalka, Sydorchuk – Gusev, Moraes, Yarmolenko
Manager: Serhiy Rebrov
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