The head coach of Shakhtar Donetsk Igor Jovicevich told what he expects from the match of his team with the German RB Leipzig in the 1st round of the Champions League group stage, which will be held tomorrow in Leipzig.
Igor Jovichevich“First of all, we represent not only the Shakhtar football club - we also represent Ukraine. And the minimum that the fans will see on Tuesday is how we fight from the first to the last minute, just like the military is now fighting for the country and for all of us, so that we feel free. This is our team responsibility - to play against such teams in the Champions League, thinking about sports results, representing the state in a war.
Ukraine is the only country at the moment that plays the championship on its territory, where the war is going on. I will say again: this is a very big responsibility and pride. And we will do our best on Tuesday to represent Ukraine successfully.
Of course, I have no experience of playing in the Champions League, but I compensate for this with crazy motivation and increased adrenaline. At the same time, we must maintain a balance between playing with the mind and the heart. For the team to show good football in the debut match, where experience does not always play a key role. Of course, this is a huge factor, but sometimes young football players do not think about the consequences - and this can be one of our trump cards.
From the first day of the training camp, I feel how the mood of the team is improving every day. And in the last match, you could notice how much the team has grown, how fighting qualities are growing. And you can not only play football well, but when it gets hard, character appears at some points during the match. And in the last match, I saw the team, and it pleases me as much as three points.
Therefore, on Tuesday, with the same mood, we will start the debut match with Leipzig, which is temporarily going through a small crisis in terms of results, but still remains a good team.
As for the physical condition, we gave a lot of strength in the last match. Playing in the minority for quite a long time took a lot of strength - both moral, and physical, and mental. But we spent these couple of days in recovery and at the same time gave tactical information to the players about what could happen in the upcoming match: when Leipzig is with the ball, when - without it, how he reveals the game, how he defends, what kind of characteristics in general. I can assure you that we will be ready for the match,” said Jovićević.
