Comment by Jacqueline Mihaylov, "Sports Topic":
On Sunday at 2:00 PM on the familiar scene of the eternal derby – “Vasil Levski“ stadium, CSKA and Levski will fight the basic stereotype of always playing boring and tedious matches with few goals. It has been like this for at least 14 years now for the reason that the big clubs of Bulgaria
are totally in the shadow
of the sun
of Deliorman
And despite the fact that the entire journalistic army always tries to give a solemn meaning to the next edition, there is no escaping the reality. And it is that the symbolic host is only eighth in the standings, and the guest is in second place with an impressive difference between them of 17 points. Almost the same situation existed before the match between them in the fall, and then this advantage turned out to be decisive for Levski's victory. But the place in the ranking is the most often refuted stereotype in the derby, which is accompanied by the spell that the form and problems do not concern it, because the thrill in the artists is different.
And this is actually the hardest stereotype to overcome, which leads to the eternal expectation of current performers taking us back 20, 30 or 40 years with a time machine, when the audience in the stadium and on TVs watched unforgettable performances. But this is exactly what cannot happen, because on Sunday, out of a total of about 30 participants on the field, at most 5-6 will be Bulgarians, to whom expectations of memory can be directed. But the main
nearly 80 percent
part are foreigners
who do not possess any ancestral memory. Even worse is that they don't have any great football skills to leave us breathless in relation to what is happening on the pitch.
My lyrical digression was not an end in itself, it is the attitude with which one should approach Sunday's edition of the eternal derby, which will almost certainly be the last for the current campaign between the great rivals. CSKA is still 9 points behind the coveted fourth position and the chances of closing the gap are no more than 20 percent. And the reward in pursuing this goal is not so tempting, because the army team continues in the cup tournament, and fifth place at the end of the regular season is something of a backup plan for participating in European tournaments through a play-off.
Levski, for its part, has a clear and realistic goal and it is the well-known second, silver place for the club. Which will also mean a completed task for returning to Europe. So much for the general goals, which as you can see, will not undergo any decisive change from the result on Sunday. Which, to be honest, is more about prestige, self-confidence and, above all, for the red and blue walls of the stadium. We should never forget that if there is anything left intact and whole from the derby, it is the people who go to the stadium. They create the atmosphere and the feeling that something big is going to happen. And they also equalize the degree of tension to that of derbies in neighboring countries.
And specifically to the prerequisites for a red or blue victory, which, however, is in the deep shadow of the most likely hiccup. And as has often happened in recent years - in zero terms. The two intact zeros on the scoreboard are a much more likely option than a spectacular match with many goals in both goals or only in one goal.
Apart from the performers, who are of poor quality, a lot of the match scenario
depends on
the two
coaches
In this case, neither Tomas nor Velasquez will refute me by suggesting some element of emotions in the match. The coach of the symbolic hosts is showing some sobering up from the figuratively written alcohol level that kept him up until the disaster in “Ovcha Kupel“. After the two victories against Arda and the classic of “Koleja“, Tomas is satisfied, but not complacent, a state so characteristic of him otherwise. And this, as an approach to the match with Levski, will mean
attention and moderation. His ideas for the deepest press and pressure will be tailored to the situation and his players will rely only on what they can do on the pitch. And that can only bring them success against Levski with maximum concentration, combined with a minimum of unprovoked errors and good execution in front of the opponent's goal. The positive thing about CSKA's improvement comes precisely from the dozen possible goal scorers. It can be seen that in the last three matches even the full-backs scored goals, and this does not happen that often.
CSKA's stability can also be seen from space. The central defender pair Delova and Lapenya
is starting to
understand
and blindfolded. In the heart of the pitch, Careasso and Eto‘O are undoubtedly the best duo in the championship. And ahead, Pitas will prove that so much money is not spent on a lame horse. Goalkeeper Dyulgerov, defenders Vion and Pinto, midfielders Lindset, Shopov and Ilian Iliev are expected not to commit any stupidity or not to be just an appendage to the match.
Levski has no problem responding appropriately to every provocation in the good sense of the word from the opponent. But this opinion was relevant until the match at “Ticha“. The five changes in Velasquez's main line-up turned the predictions for the next match against CSKA upside down. But I will still make the bold assumption that the Spaniard, who is clearly being whispered in his ear, will return to the option of using the same defensive four of his three victories. In midfield, fear will also make him trust Tsunami and Mislovich, and the forward quartet seems unshakable. So Levski will chase success against CSKA with the same ones who defeated Ludogorets, Hebar and Spartak Varna. Experiments in this case could prove fatal. The rest are details of the landscape, but important as details. Radoslav Gidzhenov was chosen as the referee of the match, who has not been convincing this season and will probably leave a contradictory impression. The video surveillance system, the man from the bus, the approach to the cards will also be things that will be discussed after the match. But still, this is the one and only match between CSKA and Levski, which will be as interesting for Bulgaria as Napoli – Inter. And hopefully all the imposed stereotypes will be refuted with a spectacle for history. With twists in the result, many goals and complete drama. And around 4 pm on Sunday we can return to reality again.