The head coach of Shakhtar Donetsk Igor Jovicevich told what he expects from his team's match against Real Madrid in the 3rd round of the Champions League group stage, which will take place today on the field of the Spanish grand.
Igor Yovichevich. Photo — shakhtar.com“The team is in an absolutely good mood. We are ready for the match. Last league game (against Metalist - 6:1, - ed.) gave us both confidence and good emotions to go to Madrid for such an important match of the Champions League with the best club in the world. Everything is possible in football, and we hope for our chance in the upcoming Champions League match.
We will try to excel, to score. Whether we will be able to do this, we do not know. But no one can take away our enthusiasm from us. We will believe in the impossible and make it a reality. And we will enjoy the match as much as possible on Wednesday.
Basically, everyone is ready for the match. Slight damage to Totovitsky, who will not be able to take part in the duel. Everyone else is getting ready.
We are all aware of the responsibility we have in the current situation, we understand that we represent Ukraine in the world. From the very beginning of the military invasion, I understood the complexity of the situation in the country. But Shakhtar is an important team, especially in the east of Ukraine, like Real (Madrid) in Spain. And every day, talking with football players, overcoming obstacles, we understand that we are not only players, but also people - each of us has families, friends, so we all worry and look for strength.
We closely follow how the Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing and strive to match them: looking at how our army fights, we also try to fight on the field and win. We want our fans to be proud of us, and we will try to give them these emotions," Jovićević said at the pre-match press conference.
