Post by Salem6 on Nov 4, 2003 18:10:15 GMT
By Chris Harris
Sylvain Wiltord in action in Kiev
Pressure should not be an issue for Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night. While the eyes of Europe judge Arsenal's attempts to keep their qualification hopes alive, the Ukrainians are in a no-lose situation.
If Kiev are defeated, few eyebrows would be raised and they will still have a better chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League than the Gunners.
If Alexei Mikhailichenko's men leave Highbury with a draw or better, they will be on the verge of the last 16 and comparisons will be drawn with the Kiev side which reached the semi-finals in 1999.
Paul Miazga of the Kyiv Post believes that Dynamo will relish the chance to relax and play their natural game in conditions which should be an improvement on those in their own country.
"Weather being here what it is, Dynamo will probably be looking forward to getting out of town for a day or so," he told Arsenal.com. "They should have a 'devil may care' attitude considering the lack of expectation that they can win.
"I don't think anyone's got high hopes for anything better than a draw at Highbury," he continued. "The players and fans will be very pleased with a draw as Dynamo haven't played well in their last few away games in Europe."
The gruelling journey probably doesn't help Dynamo's poor record on the road in the Champions League, but Miazga also attributes their lack of success to the atmosphere and structure of some stadiums abroad.
"I think the difference is having to play so close to the fans," he said. "If you've ever seen Kiev's Olympic Stadium, it's like the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, far away from the supporters and therefore less intimidating."
The Arsenal players will no doubt enjoy partisan support on Wednesday night, but Dynamo have plenty going for them. The Ukrainians are bang in form and have lost just once in 18 games.
That one defeat was courtesy of a last-gasp winner from Inter striker Christian Vieri in the San Siro last month. As Miazga says, that disappointment was erased by the 2-1 victory against Arsenal a fortnight ago.
"Naturally, people here were ecstatic after the Arsenal win," he said. "Fans here seem used to the idea of a late let-down in big games, so they thanked the crossbar when Kolo Toure went close and cursed the ref for playing so much stoppage time."
Mikhailichenko has no new injuries to worry about and received a further boost this week when key defenders Yuri Dmeitrulin and Andrei Nesmachniy extended their contracts with the club.
Sylvain Wiltord in action in Kiev
Pressure should not be an issue for Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night. While the eyes of Europe judge Arsenal's attempts to keep their qualification hopes alive, the Ukrainians are in a no-lose situation.
If Kiev are defeated, few eyebrows would be raised and they will still have a better chance of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League than the Gunners.
If Alexei Mikhailichenko's men leave Highbury with a draw or better, they will be on the verge of the last 16 and comparisons will be drawn with the Kiev side which reached the semi-finals in 1999.
Paul Miazga of the Kyiv Post believes that Dynamo will relish the chance to relax and play their natural game in conditions which should be an improvement on those in their own country.
"Weather being here what it is, Dynamo will probably be looking forward to getting out of town for a day or so," he told Arsenal.com. "They should have a 'devil may care' attitude considering the lack of expectation that they can win.
"I don't think anyone's got high hopes for anything better than a draw at Highbury," he continued. "The players and fans will be very pleased with a draw as Dynamo haven't played well in their last few away games in Europe."
The gruelling journey probably doesn't help Dynamo's poor record on the road in the Champions League, but Miazga also attributes their lack of success to the atmosphere and structure of some stadiums abroad.
"I think the difference is having to play so close to the fans," he said. "If you've ever seen Kiev's Olympic Stadium, it's like the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, far away from the supporters and therefore less intimidating."
The Arsenal players will no doubt enjoy partisan support on Wednesday night, but Dynamo have plenty going for them. The Ukrainians are bang in form and have lost just once in 18 games.
That one defeat was courtesy of a last-gasp winner from Inter striker Christian Vieri in the San Siro last month. As Miazga says, that disappointment was erased by the 2-1 victory against Arsenal a fortnight ago.
"Naturally, people here were ecstatic after the Arsenal win," he said. "Fans here seem used to the idea of a late let-down in big games, so they thanked the crossbar when Kolo Toure went close and cursed the ref for playing so much stoppage time."
Mikhailichenko has no new injuries to worry about and received a further boost this week when key defenders Yuri Dmeitrulin and Andrei Nesmachniy extended their contracts with the club.
