Myron Markevych is predicting FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk will "play another kind of football" as SSC Napoli visit, Rafael Benítez telling the visitors to be positive.
Dnipro and Napoli level at 1-1 after semi-final first-leg draw last week
• Myron Markevych says Dnipro "weren't ourselves in Italy"
• Dnipro have won their last four European home games without conceding
• Napoli are ten matches unbeaten in the UEFA Europa League
• Dnipro had lost five successive games against Italian sides before the first leg
Possible lineups
Dnipro: Boyko; Fedetskiy, Douglas, Cheberyachko, Léo Matos; Kankava, Rotan, Fedorchuk, Matheus, Konoplyanka; Kalinić.
• Doubtful: Shakhov (unspecified)
• Out: Mazuch (knee), Zozulya (knee), Kravchenko (unspecified)
Dnipro: Boyko; Fedetskiy, Douglas, Cheberyachko, Léo Matos; Kankava, Rotan, Fedorchuk, Matheus, Konoplyanka; Kalinić.
• Doubtful: Shakhov (unspecified)
• Out: Mazuch (knee), Zozulya (knee), Kravchenko (unspecified)
Napoli: Andújar; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam; Inler, López; Insigne/Mertens, Callejón, Hamšík; Higuaín.
• Doubtful: De Guzmán (thigh)
• Out: Michu (thigh), Zúñiga (knee)
• Doubtful: De Guzmán (thigh)
• Out: Michu (thigh), Zúñiga (knee)
Myron Markevych, Dnipro coach
We weren't ourselves in Italy. Napoli's performance in the first leg was really great, I know this because I have watched lots of their games. They made us run without ball for the whole match. But I hope here it will be different because I know we can play a different kind of football than we saw in Naples. We'll try to counterattack with more quality this time.
We weren't ourselves in Italy. Napoli's performance in the first leg was really great, I know this because I have watched lots of their games. They made us run without ball for the whole match. But I hope here it will be different because I know we can play a different kind of football than we saw in Naples. We'll try to counterattack with more quality this time.
We are in good spirits. We'll play at home and I know there'll be a lot of people at the stadium in Kyiv. I know my team's strengths and I hope my players will show their best. Nobody knows what result we'll get as we're up against a really strong opponent. Anyway, after the first leg, the chances are a bit more even.
I can't tell if this match is the most important in my career. I've had lots of big games as a coach both in Europe and in Ukraine. Let's put it this way: I hope my most important one is still to come.
Rafael Benítez, Napoli coach
We have a very important match and we are focused on getting a positive result here. We have to show all we can on the football pitch. My personal European experience is important but first of all we must consider the experience of this team and these players.
We have a very important match and we are focused on getting a positive result here. We have to show all we can on the football pitch. My personal European experience is important but first of all we must consider the experience of this team and these players.
We always analyse our opponents in detail, as we do our own performance. We work hard to avoid mistakes we've committed in past, and I hope this will be the case here. My future at Napoli doesn't depend directly on this result. We are totally focused on this very important game and we want to reach the Europa League final.
We have lots of respect for Dnipro as we've seen what they are capable of. We saw their strength; these are tough and tenacious opponents. However, I don't see many reasons to be overly nervous about this game. In our last [league] match, we had more than 20 shots. If we can repeat that we'll definitely score a couple of goals. That will be enough for us, I guess.
Expert predictions
The mood in the Napoli dressing room was pretty downcast after last week's first leg, yet there remains plenty of cause for optimism. If it was a boxing bout they would have been overwhelming winners on points: they had 63% possession, 19 shots to Dnipro's three, 14 corners to the visitors' one.
The mood in the Napoli dressing room was pretty downcast after last week's first leg, yet there remains plenty of cause for optimism. If it was a boxing bout they would have been overwhelming winners on points: they had 63% possession, 19 shots to Dnipro's three, 14 corners to the visitors' one.
The challenge for Napoli is to find a way through. First there is Douglas, a Brazilian defender whose telescopic limbs have been a feature of Dnipro's campaign. Break through that wall and you find another: goalkeeper Denys Boyko, who has conceded just 11 times in 15 games so far, qualifying included.
Ben Gladwell
Ben Gladwell
Weekend results
Dnipro 0-2 FC Zorya Luhansk (Khomchenovskiy 26, Budkivskiy 42)
Parma FC 2-2 Napoli (Palladino 9, Cristóbal Jorquera 33; Gabbiadini 28, Mertens 72)
Dnipro 0-2 FC Zorya Luhansk (Khomchenovskiy 26, Budkivskiy 42)
Parma FC 2-2 Napoli (Palladino 9, Cristóbal Jorquera 33; Gabbiadini 28, Mertens 72)
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Dnipro: LDWLWW
Napoli: DDWLWD
Dnipro: LDWLWW
Napoli: DDWLWD
Match fact
• Four Edinson Cavani goals helped Napoli to a home win when these sides met in 2012 but what happened in Ukraine? Find out in our extensive match background.
• Four Edinson Cavani goals helped Napoli to a home win when these sides met in 2012 but what happened in Ukraine? Find out in our extensive match background.
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