Dyn. Kyiv (Ukr) vs Salzburg (Aut) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-08-20 19:00.
[p]Ten-minute spells of brilliance last week propelled both Dynamo Kyiv and RB Salzburg into the play-off round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, the final two-legged hurdle that will see the victor enter the league stage of the reformatted competition. Assisted by a one-man advantage, Dynamo performed strongly in Glasgow to eliminate Rangers 3-1 on aggregate and qualify for their third successive play-off round tie in any UEFA competition.[/p]
[p]The previous two didnât go to plan, with the Ukrainians ultimately demolished by BeĆiktaĆ and Benfica in the past two seasons, perhaps in part because being forced to play continental âhomeâ legs abroad appears to have hurt their prospects. Their 6-2 win over Partizan in the second qualifying round of this UCL is one of just two victories as the âhomeâ team from seven such games since 2022/23 (D1, L4).[/p]
[p]Within half an hour of their away leg in Twente, Salzburg had blasted in two goals on their way to a 4-1 aggregate lead and ultimately did enough to hold off a subsequent comeback from their Dutch hosts who ensured the second leg finished 3-3 on the night. It brought to an end their six-game competitive winning streak that dated back to May, but that didnât bother head coach Pepijn Lijnders who was âreally proudâ of how his club weathered the storm and moved closer to what would be a sixth straight UCL league/group stage appearance. [/p]
[p]Theyâre one club who may benefit from effectively playing in a neutral game, having won just one of their last 12 matches (D5, L6) away from home across all UEFA competitions. As far as the play-off round is concerned, their last two trips abroad produced 2-1 victories at BrĂžndby and Maccabi Tel Aviv, so that in combination with last weekâs result should inspire them to head back to Austria with the upper hand.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Already with four goal contributions (G2, A2) to his name across all tournaments this season, Mykola Shaparenko delivered Dynamoâs first goal in the play-off round of last seasonâs Conference League. RB Salzburgâs Danish wonderkid Maurits KjĂŠrgaard will also be looking to make his mark however, after netting in both legs against Twente. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: All but two of Salzburgâs last 14 competitive games against top flight opposition saw both teams score on the day. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]