Europa League Preview: St Patrick's Athletic -v- Dinamo Minsk

ST. PATRICK'S ATHLETIC

The Saints go into Thursday evening’s second leg of their Europa League qualifier against Dinamo Minsk with a valuable away goal earned in the 1-1 draw in Belarus.

Richmond Park will be packed to the rafters for the 7.45pm kick off as Liam Buckley’s men look for a place in the Europa League Third Qualifying Round (and a €220,000 cheque that would go with it).

"Last week was a fantastic result and one we thoroughly merited,” Buckley said to stpatsfc.com. “We restricted them to very few clear cut chances and when a big chance came our way, Christy [Fagan] managed to put it away (see here).

“However we are all very much aware that the second leg will be a much more challenging game. Dinamo have to come here and score so they'll be pushing on to us. The players know to expect a higher level of performance from them so we're under no illusions that it will be a tough game. ?

“That said though, we feel we can play better ourselves and if we can do that, hopefully we can create another one of those special nights in Inchicore.”

The winner of the tie will face either Vojvodina or Connah's Quay. The Serbian side take a 1-0 win to Wales for the second leg which will kick off in Rhyl an hour before the game in Richmond Park.

After early eliminations in Europe at the first hurdle in each of the last three seasons, should Pat’s progress it will be the fifth season in the last nine years they will play three rounds in Europe.??

“We played Žalgiris here a few years ago,” recalled Buckley speaking at the pre-match press conference. “Ger O’Brien scored a fantastic goal out there. It was a great result but we were popped 2-1 here at home. So we are under no illusions, we’ve got a job on our hands.

“We would have been disappointed against Skonto Riga last year that we didn’t get through. The other one was Legia Warsaw; again, not a bad outfit. We have done well away from home and got popped here. It’s going to be an extremely tough game tomorrow. It will be very tight right through until the end.”

Buckley has a full-strength squad to pick from, with Conor O'Malley and Jack Bayly both available having overcome recent injuries.

Darren Dennehy scored the precious away goal in Luxembourg that helped Pat’s progress to this round after the tie against Jeunesse Esch finished 2-2. That was the Saints’ tenth tie won in Europe, a League of Ireland record.

Dennehy’s brother Billy also has scored in Europe during his time with Shamrock Rovers. He netted in Tallaght against Greek side PAOK in the Group Stages of the 2011/12 competition.

?"We know it's going to be another tough game as they may have underestimated us last week,” said Billy Dennehy speaking to his club’s website.

“But look, we all did our jobs in the first leg, it wasn't down to any individuals, it was a real team performance that earned us the result. If we can do that again, fingers crossed we can get over the line.”?

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, club captain Conan Byrne predicted a “tight game” and acknowledged his team will have to be on top form to get a result.

“They will probably have a lot of the ball and they’re very good on the counter-attack so when we have the ball we need to be positive and try to create chances. We know that we are going to have to defend very well, the same as last week. We have to be very good on the counter and watch their counter-attacks.”

For more from the pre-match press conference, see Aaron Gallagher's report here: Saints under no illusions heading into Europa qualifier

DINAMO MINSK

Last week’s draw with the Saints cost the Serbian manager Vuk Rasovic his job with Minsk such was the club’s disappointment with the result against Pat’s.

His team had taken a 20 minute lead through Vladimir Korytko before Christy Fagan got Pat’s their equaliser. Sergei Borovsky is the new boss who will take his seat in the Richmond Park dugout on Thursday. He was in charge of Shakhytor Soligursk when the Belarussian team knocked out Derry City in 2014 Europa League qualifiers 6-1 on aggregate.

Having overcome Latvian side Spartaks Jurmala with wins home and away in the last round, for Minsk Pat’s have proved more formidable opponents. Minsk, who finished second to BATE Borisov last season (the team Dundalk will now face in the next Champions League qualifying round), are ranked in 165^th in the UEFA rankings, 116 places higher than St. Pat’s. 

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The Dinamo squad is packed with several current and former internationals, including defender Roman Begunov who was in the squad for the recent friendlies ahead of the Euros against Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Libyan international Mohammed El-Monir was on the scoresheet in the previous round, as were Belarussian internationals Vladimir Korytko and Artem Bykov.

Referee: Alan Mario Sant (Malta). 

MATCH STATS

Fagan’s seven goals in Europe (one with Bohemians and six with St. Pat’s from 14 games with the Saints) leave him in joint third (with Billy Dixon) in the all time League of Ireland European goalscorer chart. Only Jason Byrne (10) and Glen Crowe (11) have scored more in Europe. 

The Saints have a strong European home record when playing in Inchicore. They have only four losses from the 16 games played in the Richmond Park. Just two of those defeats came in their 13 games in Inchicore but both of those loses have come in last few years – the 2-1 defeat to Zalgiris in 2013 and last year’s 2-0 loss to Skonto Riga. 

Dinamo Minsk took on League of Ireland opposition on just one other occasion. They eliminated Bohs in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup. The away goal scored in the 1-1 first leg draw in Dalymount Park was enough to see them progress after the second leg in Molodechno finished 0-0. Despite St. Pat’s large number of European fixtures, this is the first time they will play against Belarusian opposition. 

BETTING

St. Pat's 10/3; Draw 5/2; Dinamo 8/11.

PREDICTION

1 – 1 AET with Pat’s to progress on penos 

St. Pat's

Injured: None. 

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None. 

Dinamo Minsk

Injured: Unknown. 

Doubtful: Unknown.

Suspended: None.