July 7, 2022
The first qualifying round of the Europa Conference sees a tie between two sides familiar to these diaries.
FK Decic Tuzi finished third in the 2021/22 Montenegro First League for the second time in a row after promotion back to the highest division in Montenegro. They had a particularly odd season, winning all 4 away matches against the top two, FK Sutjeksa and FK Buducnost, but poor results against lesser sides, including 6 defeats at home, prevented any serious challenge for the title.
Tuzi is a small town in the south-east of Montenegro close to the Albanian border, 10km from the capital Podgorica, and 150km from Dubrovnik and 130km from Tirana.
Two important mainstays of Decic’s squad last season are now longer with the club, namely strikers Kristijan Vulaj, who after 11 goals in the season has joined Albanian side FK Vllazania, and fellow forward Illr Camaj left during the winter break to join a side in Oman after scoring 7 goals.
However, they have retained experienced midfielder Drasko Bozovic, whose form saw a recall to the national squad, striker Aleksa Marusic scored 6 goals after signing from Sutjeska, whilst the highest appearances in the season were from right-back Jonathan Dresaj, centre-back Marko Tuci, who was also called into the national squad but is yet to win his first cap, right winger Danilo Pesukic and defensive midfielder Jovran Nikolic.
Veteran ex-Dinamo
Zagreb, Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Moscow and Mechelen striker Fatos Beciraj joined
the club in the winter break and was also called into the Montenegro squad, and
now has 85 caps. Ex-Spartak Subotica winger Stefan Denkovic signed from Dinamo Batumi.
Dinamo Minsk finished third in the 2021 Belarus Premier League to qualify for the Europa Conference, being 3 points behind runners-up BATE Borisov and 13 points behind champions Shakhtyor Soligorsk. They are now in the middle of their 2022 season where they are also in third place after 13 games, 3 points behind leaders BATE Borisov, having lost 0-1 at Shakhtyor and surprisingly going down 1-2 at home to Isloch.
Since these diaries last reported on the Belarus Premier League at the end of the 2021 season, Dinamo have lost a significant number of key players, including striker Jean Morel Poe who joined Egyptian sided Ismaily for 240K Euros, midfielder Alexsander Selyava joined Russian side Rostov for a reported 108K Euros, whilst a number of players left on free transfers, namely attacking midfielder Vladislav Klimovich who joined Hungarian side Gyrimot, playmaker Andriy Batsula returned to Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava, striker Evgeniy Shikavka joined Kazakh side Shakhter Karagandy, keeper Maksim Plotnikov side signed from Shakhtyor Soligorsk to be their first choice number 1, and Vladimir Khavaschinsky joined FK Minsk.
Dinamo have signed a number of cut-price replacements, including Denis Grechikho and Aleksy Vakulich from defunct Rukh Brest, ex Notts County Slovenian striker Filip Valenic from HJK Helsinki, midfielder Ivan Pesic from Vorksla, and utility player Roman Begunov from Shakhtyor.
That said, Dinamo still have a core of talented players and should be favourites to progress from this tie. Their Belarus internationals include strikers Ivan Bakhar, Artem Bykov and Vladimir Lozhkin all of whom to-date have scored 4 goals domestically this season, whilst keeper Igor Khatkevich, full-back Maksim Shvetsov, midfielders Sergei Kislyak and Anton Putilo, and centre-back Nikita Naumov are also experienced full Belarus internationals. Montenegro striker Dusan Bakic is also a regular.
Due to the UEFA ban on Belarus sides playing at home due to the Ukrainian invasion, this match is being played behind closed doors in the DG Arena in Podgorica in Montenegro, which is the home ground of FK Podgorica, although the return tie will be played at the Podgorica City Stadium, which is the home of FK Buducnost.
Temperature at kick-off was expected to be sunny and 30 degrees. Betfair made Dinamo 3/10 favourites, with the draw at 7/2 and Decic at 7/1.
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