Former striker of Shakhtar Donetsk and the Ukrainian national team Andriy Vorobey commented on the European Cup draw for Ukrainian clubs, and also appreciated the start of the new season of the Ukrainian Premier League.
Andrey Sparrow- Andriy, how would you rate the European Cup draw?
- If taken as a whole, then acceptable groups for all three Ukrainian teams. But we must take into account the level of our teams today. This is a completely different question. But in general, successful groups for all Ukrainian teams. I can say that the draw for our clubs was successful. But whether you can get out of the groups is another question.
— Shakhtar will play the third Champions League in a row with the Royal Club. Can the Pitmen catch on for some points in the confrontations with Real Madrid?
— Well, let's be frank and face the truth! Now Shakhtar is not competitive in matches with such teams as Real Madrid. Yes, sensations can be! This is football! And you shouldn't look for logic in football. But, in the games with Real Madrid, it seems to me that there will definitely be no surprises. Real is Real! Even in good times, it was difficult for Shakhtar to play against Real Madrid. There were surprises more than once. But now, I think, the chances are very, very few.
— The Pitmen's other rivals are Leipzig and Celtic. Do you think Shakhtar will fight for third place or will they try to cling to the second position, which allows them to reach the playoffs of the most prestigious European Cup?
— We, all the Pitmen's fans, and I, as a former Shakhtar player, would like the Donetsk team to fight for the second place in the group. But let's understand what the situation is now in the club, what are the difficulties in the club. Now, in fact, a new, young team is being formed. A lot of players come who were on loan. This team needs time, about a year or two. The team needs to bounce back a little. Now, I don't think it's worth waiting for any results from Shakhtar. It seems to me that it will be successful and good if Shakhtar takes third place in the quartet and gets into the Europa League.
— By the way, how do you like the UPL first round match between Shakhtar and Metalist 1925?
- Shakhtar was not impressed, let's put it this way. The Pitmen could have lost this match. Kharkiv residents had very dangerous moments. Forget Metalist 1925 in one of the episodes, and Shakhtar could lose the meeting with a score of 0:1.
- What do you think about the draw for Dynamo, which came across the well-known Fenerbahce and AEK Larnaca, as well as Rennes?
- Compared to Shakhtar, the rivals of the Kiev team are, let's say, weaker teams. I think that Dynamo has a chance to fight for second place. There will be completely different games against Fenerbahce compared to the Champions League qualification. Then the Turkish team was also somewhere unplayed. Fenerbahce has stars in its roster. The composition of the team from Istanbul is much stronger than that of Dynamo. In terms of performers and in terms of all components, the Turks look better. At the moment, Fenerbahce's club structure is better. But it so happened that they were somewhere unplayed and raw, as new players came. And in this confrontation, Dynamo, let's say, deserved to win, and they were lucky that they beat Fenerbahce. In the group stage of the Europa League, Istanbul will have a completely different team and it will be completely different games. You should not think that we have passed Fenerbahce and we know how to play with this team. Yes, we know, but these will be completely different games, in which it will be very, very difficult.
— And what do you think about the Cypriots?
- I think that Dnepr-1 should have passed this command. In good times, Dnipro should have beaten AEK Larnaca. But this time it didn't work out. The Cypriots did not impress me. I think that Dynamo can successfully play against AEK. To be honest, in these matches, I expect only victories from the people of Kiev. Cypriots "Dynamo" must win unambiguously. And with Fenerbahce it will be very, very difficult.
- Will it be difficult with Rennes too?
- "Rennes" is the French, a team from the French championship. Fenerbahce and Rennes are two top clubs that will be very difficult to play against. A year or two years ago, I would say that Dynamo is the favorite in this confrontation with the French. But now, unfortunately, Rennes is the favorite. Fenerbahce and Rennes are favorites. But still, this is such an average group. And, given that Dynamo has a very good head coach who can come up with something, the people of Kiev can compete for a ticket to the playoffs of the Europa League. I think that in some fights with Fenerbahce or Rennes, the people of Kiev, in theory, should take points. And in matches with AEK we must win.
- And how do you evaluate the draw of Dnipro-1?
- AZ is a strong club, with which it will be difficult. But it’s hard to say anything about the Dnipros now. The team has a new coach, new players, a new vision. The team is still raw. According to the performers, the team seems to be nothing, but the game and interactions still need time. Therefore it is difficult to speak. There may be surprises. The group is even and let's hope that Dnipro-1 will already get in shape in these games and give some result. But then again! Even if it does not give a result, there are reasons for this. I think we all understand this in principle.
- What can you say about the start of the UPL?
- Such a rather crumpled first round with these anxieties and pauses. Many fans, not experts, say that this is normal and there is nothing wrong with it. But I will say that it is very difficult to start playing when you warmed up, ran up, and then there was a pause and the start of the match was delayed for an hour. Even a delay of 20 minutes is already a big pause. Yes, they are professional football players and they will force themselves. But it's still difficult to wait for an hour, and then start again. Therefore, the first round left such a double impression.
- In Lviv, the match "Rukh" - "Metalist" (1:2) was played for 4 and a half hours.
— Yes, it is difficult, very difficult to play in such conditions. But I do not know! We need to get out of this situation somehow. The Football Federation of Ukraine needs to come up with something, something needs to be decided. Because really sitting for four hours waiting for a game is not an option.
— What results do you expect from the teams?
- As for the results, I will say this: in these conditions, all teams will be equal. Even in the games against Shakhtar and Dynamo, all teams will have chances. Under these conditions, there will be such a fairly even championship. Even the weakest team will be able to surprise. They will play and play, and then an alarm for two hours. And after the alarm, try to kill this team. It is very difficult! Therefore, in these conditions, all teams are equal. And I think it will be such an even championship.
- They write that the UPL match Shakhtar - Dynamo can be played in London.
— I also heard this news. Well, it's up to the teams themselves to decide. If the financial component allows, then why not? Let them play in London or any other city if they can afford it.
Dmitry KOTKOV
