Head coach of Shakhtar Donetsk Patrick van Leeuwen has revealed what he expects from his side's away match against Belgian side Antwerp in the 2nd round of the Champions League group stage.
- Our main goal in this match is to win. Of course, we have watched all of Antwerp's matches, we know how the opponent plays. We also calculate all situations, all options. As I said, our goal is to win and represent the team in the best possible way in this game.
As for the current situation, there is a war going on in Ukraine. The first difficulty is travelling within the country and abroad, because it takes much more time now. The second point is that during matches in Ukraine, air raids are often heard, which is why our games last more than 90 minutes. It affects us psychologically and motivationally, but this is the situation. We are at war, martial law, we have an aggressor. And in such a situation, we have to adapt.
Of course, the latest results were not what we expected. There is a little pressure, but not from the outside, it is more internal pressure that stimulates in a positive way, motivates us to win. And we know that this is exactly the task we have in the match against Antwerp," said van Leeuwen at the pre-match press conference.