Ruslan Rotan takes his "Polissya" squad to Hungary today with a commanding 3-0 first-leg advantage, as the Zhytomyr club looks to continue their unexpected European journey against "Pakš" at Fehérvár Stadium.
"We had some rotation and perhaps a touch of overconfidence that played a role in our recent league defeat," admitted Rotan, referring to the surprising 0-1 loss to "Kolos" in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Boris Krushinsky emerged as the hero in the first match, providing two crucial assists from the flank that effectively settled the question of who would be the favorite in this tie. The Zhytomyr side has been writing what the club considers a "small fairy tale" in European competition this season, having already eliminated Andorra's "Santa Coloma" before taking down one of Hungarian football's leading clubs.
The hosts won't go down without a fight, though. "Pakš" has scored in 16 of their last 17 home matches, giving them at least some hope of a comeback. Their minimum goal? To give their fans a dignified farewell to their European season.
Interestingly, despite "Polissya's" commanding position, bookmakers still favor the Hungarian side to win this particular match, offering odds of 2.26 for a "Pakš" victory compared to 3.60 for an away win. The odds for qualification tell a different story – 1.06 for the Ukrainian side versus 11.75 for the hosts.
Do "Polissya" already have one eye on a potential meeting with "Fiorentina" in the next round? Perhaps. But Rotan insists his team is focused on maintaining concentration for the full 90 minutes in Hungary. After all, in European competition, nothing is guaranteed until the final whistle.
The match kicks off at 20:00 local time with German referee Daniel Schlager in charge. Can "Pakš" pull off a miracle comeback, or will "Polissya" continue their European fairy tale?
