Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Igor Jovicevich told what he expects from his team's match against Scottish Celtic in the 5th round of the Champions League group stage, which will be held today in Glasgow.
Igor Yovichevich. Photo — shakhtar.com- Full concentration on this match, which will be very difficult. We know who we are playing against, we know in front of how many people and at what legendary stadium we will play, but for us it will only be a football match. We will focus on the game plan, endure when necessary, keep the ball when it is necessary to play through control, counterattack when necessary. We need to be focused on football and do those things that will benefit us.
Certainly Celtic are the top team that deserve to be here in the Champions League. The group is very competitive and the fight continues. This is not the end - every team has a goal and a chance. We believe that we will carry out our plan.
I watched a lot of Celtic matches and saw a high pace, a high rhythm from the beginning of the game. This is especially noticeable at home, when fans push the team with their energy. Tuesday will be the same, because they only need a victory. We are aware of this factor, and for us it will be a new experience. But it is a great pleasure to play in such an atmosphere at Celtic Park.
We believe that we can perform another miracle. Over the past month, we have grown. This is not the Shakhtar that it was before. I think everything is possible. We have our game, our game plan, we have a 50 percent chance before the game starts. And we will be ready for an energetic start by the opponents, because in every match Celtic starts powerfully. We saw in the match against Real Madrid that Celtic had three scoring chances in the first half. But we are mentally and physically strong and ready for it. Without a doubt, Celtic is the favorite in the upcoming match,” Jovićević said at the pre-match press conference.
