Preview:Dynamo Kiev vs Hamrun Spartans - prediction, team news, lineups

Only the collapse of all collapses will prevent Dynamo Kiev from advancing in the Champions League when they tackle Hamrun Spartans in the second leg of their second-round qualifying tie on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian giants eased to a 3-0 victory over the Maltese minnows in last week's first leg and are well on their way to a third qualifying-round showdown with Pafos or Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Match preview

Group-stage regulars Dynamo were never expected to run into too many roadblocks in their opening Champions League tie, and with three goals scored and none conceded, last week's first leg was virtually the perfect evening for head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.

Playing in front of a 1,760-strong crowd at the Tony Bezzina Stadium in Paola, the Ukrainians went in front through an early Vladyslav Vanat strike, which was set up by Vitaliy Buyalskyy before the captain went from provider to scorer in the second half.

Dynamo's attacking forces were in a giving and getting mood last Tuesday, as substitute Nazar Voloshyn also set up Buyalskyi's strike before putting the icing on the cake with his side's final goal two minutes into second-half stoppage time.

Shovkovskyi nevertheless had a couple of bones to pick at full time; the 50-year-old lamented his side's inability to convert more of their chances, while also raising "questions" about some officiating decisions after Denys Popov had a goal controversially disallowed.

Nevertheless, the Blue & Whites now have one foot firmly in the third qualifying round, and not since the 2017-18 season have they been eliminated from a preliminary Champions League tie after winning the first leg.

Just by reaching the second round of Champions League qualifying, the current Hamrun Spartans crop wrote their names into the history books, as Tas-Sikkina had never progressed that far in Europe's premier tournament before.

An astonishing 11-10 penalty-shootout win over FK Zalgiris in round one punched the Spartans' ticket to the second phase, but the gulf in quality was evident last week, and only a Maltese miracle will see them prolong their UCL journey now.

All is not lost for Giacomo Modica's men on the continent, though, as all losers from the second round of UCL qualifying drop down into the third round of Europa League qualifying, offering renewed hope of a first-ever appearance in the league/group stage of a major European competition.

Of course, the tie with Dynamo Kiev is not dead and buried just yet, and if there is any crumb of comfort for Modica's men to take on Tuesday, it is that the tie will be played at a 'neutral' venue due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Arena Lublin in Poland will host the second leg between Dynamo Kiev and Hamrun Spartans, who will also meet the loser of Pafos vs. Maccabi in Europa League qualifying barring a magical turnaround.

Dynamo Kiev Champions League form:

Hamrun Spartans Champions League form:

Team News

Dynamo came out of their first-leg success with no fitness or disciplinary concerns whatsoever, meaning that Shovkovskyi only has the best kind of selection dilemmas for the midweek reunion.

Super sub Voloshyn has certainly put his name in the hat for a start after bagging a goal and assist off the bench last time out, potentially putting Andriy Yarmolenko's place in the first XI under threat.

Experienced heads such as Mykola Shaparenko and Oleksandr Karavaev could also come into contention, as Shovkovskyi rotates before the weekend's Ukrainian Premier League opener against Veres Rivne.

On the other hand, Hamrun Spartans were forced into a first-half change on Tuesday as defender Vincenzo Polito was withdrawn in the 37th minute, but it is not known how severe his issue is.

Should the 26-year-old not make the cut, Rafael Compri should drop deeper into the right-back position, allowing 21-year-old Mouad El Fanis to come into the forward line.

Fellow attacker Merlin Hadzi missed the first leg with the problem he picked up against Zalgiris, and the 26-year-old is likely to sit this one out too.

Dynamo Kiev possible starting lineup:

Neshcheret; Karavaev, Bilovar, Mykhavko, Dubinchak; Shaparenko, Brazhko, Buyalskyi; Yarmolenko, Vanat, Voloshyn

Hamrun Spartans possible starting lineup:

Bonello; Compri, Emerson, Bjelicic, Camenzuli; El Fanis, Ederson, Cadjenovic, Mbong; Simkus; Koffi

We say: Dynamo Kiev 4-0 Hamrun Spartans (Dynamo Kiev win 7-0 on aggregate)

According to Shovkovskyi, Dynamo Kiev could and should be further out of sight right now, but the Ukrainians should not be fearing a calamitous collapse on Tuesday.

With a fully-fit squad and an attack that is starting to click into gear, the 'hosts' should stroll to another convincing win and a spot in round three.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.