Ruslan Rotan prepares for his first European test as "Polissia" coach when the Ukrainian side hosts Andorran champions "Santa Coloma" in Slovakia on Thursday. The UEFA Europa League second qualifying round match kicks off at 20:00 at Tatran Stadium in Prešov, with Danish referee Jakob Karlsen officiating.
The Zhytomyr club qualified for European competition for the second consecutive season after securing fourth place in the Ukrainian Premier League. Last year's European debut ended in disappointment when "Polissia" lost both legs to Slovenia's "Olimpija" Ljubljana (1:4 aggregate).
"We understand the responsibility of representing Ukrainian football in Europe," a club representative might say ahead of this important fixture.
Rotan, who surprised everyone by leading "Oleksandriya" to a second-place finish in the Ukrainian Premier League, now faces his first challenge with "Polissia" against Andorra's most successful club. Bookmakers slightly favor the Ukrainian side, with betting odds of 1.20 for a "Polissia" win compared to 14.00 for "Santa Coloma".
Interestingly, "Polissia's" European participation was uncertain until the final matches of last season. The club needed to avoid defeat against "Kryvbas" while hoping "Zorya" would handle "Karpaty" Lviv. In the end, both results fell their way, securing the coveted European spot for the "Wolves".
Santa Coloma comes with some European pedigree. In 2023, the Andorran side set a personal record by advancing through two qualifying rounds in the Conference League, defeating Welsh side Penybont and Montenegro's Sutjeska before falling to Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. This season, they've already eliminated Bosnia's Borac (4:1, 0:2 aggregate).
The winner of this tie will face either Hungary's Paks or Slovenia's Maribor in the next round. Can Rotan's tactical acumen give "Polissia" their first European victory?
