Renowned Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt assessed Shakhtar Donetsk's chances in the Champions League main stage opening match against Bologna.
Yuri Wirth- Shakhtar will play against Bologna in the first round of the tournament, whose level, to put it mildly, is not the same as Lazio's. What do you expect from this match?
- The level is definitely not the same, it's not even close. "Shakhtar play in the Champions League every year, they are a very experienced team and know how to play in the most prestigious tournament in Europe. The Miners will not be overly jittery because they are confident in their abilities. Bologna hasn't seen any improvements - the team has lost its leaders and head coach, who left the team. Now, at the start of the championship, they have not won any of the four games. We hope that Shakhtar will show their best game. It is clear that with the team's performance in the Ukrainian league, it will be difficult for them to win. But with a different approach and different dedication, we can count on a positive result. I believe that the team will not lose. This will be a good result for the Donetsk team.
- What are the reasons why Shakhtar can beat Bologna? You emphasized the team's poor start in the UPL...
- Shakhtar have problems in defense. The team needs to fix them. In the match against Bologna, we need to play more disciplined. "The Pitmen concede goals very easily - both after standards and after attacks, and there are problems with that. I hope that Mykola Matvienko will return, because he missed the last match due to injury. We see problems in Franjic's game, so we hope for Matvienko. In this match, we need to play very organized and disciplined defense. I think the team will create chances in attack without any problems. It is clear that I would like Shakhtar to maximize their strong-willed attacks. But a lot of attention should be paid to the defense, because we see that there are problems there. I think that the coach sees this and has worked with the team in such a short period after the last game and will play at a good level in this match.
- What is your prediction for this match?
- I think that the match between Bologna and Shakhtar will result in a draw. Both teams will leave the field with goals.
Andriy Pavelko
