Dacia Chisinau could have done better in the first leg having conceded goals in the opening and closing minutes of the second half, but they still face a mountain to climb after the 2-0 defeat in the first leg. Chornomorets Odessa, on the other hand, do not arrive in Moldova to defend, but rather to put the tie beyond doubt as early as possible.

Dacia hold slim chance of progressing

Established in 1999, Dacia Chisinau are one of the youngest clubs to have taken part in this year’s Europa League qualifiers, but they are not exactly without European experience. The problem is the team never got past the second qualifying round in their six attempts, and it looks as though the trend is likely to continue. Having finished last league campaign big 14 points behind champions Sheriff, the Wolves obviously needed to reinforce the squad over the summer, and while they have signed quite a few new players, the team don’t look too strong at the moment having mostly signed players from domestic league, while seeing several first team players leave the club. It was, therefore, not surprising to see them struggle in the first qualifying round against Teuta of Albania, although they eventually managed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg and qualify for the next stage. Dacia were then completely outplayed by Chornomorets Odessa, and even though they conceded goals just after the half-time break and in the dying moments of the match, it was no less than they deserved for failing to match their more illustrious opponents. With the hosts still far from the desired form due to the fact their domestic championship has yet to start, I cannot see them faring much better in the return leg.

Coach Igor Negrescu is unlikely to make major changes to the side, although Henry Odia and Yuriy Shevel are pushing for starting places.

In the driving seat

Chornomorets Odessa have been a genuine yo-yo club over the last twenty years, but they are slowly establishing themselves as a top table side. The Sailors enjoyed a great deal of success last term, finishing the league campaign in sixth place, while making it to the final of Ukrainian Cup, where they were beaten by mighty Shakhtar Donetsk. That, nonetheless, proved enough to secure them the first ever European campaign, with club chiefs doing really well to give the team the best chance of reaching the Europa League group stages. Chornomorets made several excellent signings this summer, adding the likes of Olexiy Gai, Aleksey Antonov, Sergey Samodin and Rinar Valeev to their ranks, while keeping hold of all key players. As a result, the Sailors seem to be in a very good shape at the moment, having produced some very good displays at the start of the season. After giving a good account of themselves in the 3-1 Super Cup defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, Chornomorets brought one point from Sevastopol before being denied a victory against Vorskla with the last kick of the game. Meanwhile, they have recorded a comfortable win over Dacia in the first leg and I wouldn’t bet against them extending the bright run of results.

Boss Roman Grigorchuk has been rotating his squad over the past few weeks, but he is expected to field a strong side in Moldova.

Verdict

Dacia Chisinau have failed to prove they have what it takes to play at this level and I don’t see how they are going to match very good Chornomorets side in the return leg. Having already played four competitive matches, the Ukrainians appear to be in a very good shape and they have got to be considered favourites here.

Top pick: Away win   1.80 (4/5) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   1.85 (17/20) @ Sportingbet

Alternative pick 2: Chornomorets to win to nil   3.10 (21/10) @ Paddy Power

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