Former Shakhtar striker Viktor Grachev has analysed the situation ahead of the Shakhtar vs Marseille Europa League last-16 match.
"If Marino Pushic manages to make sure that the team is in a good functional condition after such a long break without official matches, then it doesn't matter when we play. Although, of course, it is difficult to face any opponent whose championship is in full swing.
It is not easy to talk about the Shakhtar's potential from friendly matches, as there is a constant rotation during sparring matches. If we start from the Shakhtar of the autumn season, I think our team has good chances of overall success.
"Marseille won the Ligue 1 last year... This again confirms the words that this is not the strongest opponent for the Orange and Blacks.
Of course, the French will try to beat Shakhtar, but they shouldn't forget about making sure they qualify for the European competitions next season. As the Champions League matches have confirmed, we have a very enthusiastic support in Hamburg, and there will be a lot of Ukrainian fans. Therefore, I believe that Shakhtar will feel at home, at least a little bit.
Speaking in general about the confrontation, given all the nuances, I think that the opponents' chances are approximately equal. In the first leg, I'm betting on Shakhtar to win with a minimum score of 2-1. At this time of the football season, a one-goal victory will be a good result for the Miners, which will be a good advantage before the return leg in France," Grachev said.