Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt told us what he expects from today's Champions League match between Italian side Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk.
- Yuriy Mykolayovych, who is your favorite for the match in Bologna: "The Shakhtar, who crushed Karpaty in the UPL at the weekend (5-2), or Bologna, who have not won any of their four Serie A matches this season?
- I'm looking forward to the game with caution. Given that the match will take place in Italy, I would still call Bologna the favorite. Yes, this team is not showing very good results now, but there are a number of objective reasons for this. Firstly, Bologna has a new coach (Vincenzo Italiano replaced Thiago Motta on the bridge - ed.)
Secondly, three of its key players left the team. Defender Riccardo Calafiore went to join our Oleksandr Zinchenko at Arsenal in London, and two strikers left Bologna: Marko Arnautovic returned to Inter, and Joshua Zirkze joined Manchester United. These were very significant losses. The team has weakened.
- Let's move on to Shakhtar's affairs. Let's be honest, the Shakhtar did not start the 2024/25 campaign very well. Defeats in the UPL by Polissia (0: 1) and Oleksandriya (3: 4), a hard-fought victory over Left Bank (1: 0). What's wrong with Pushic's team?
- "Shakhtar didn't start the season like a champion, I would say. Both of the Pitmen's defeats in the UPL frankly surprised me. As for me, many players were clearly not in the best physical condition for the new season. The matches against Polissia, Oleksandriya and L'viv Bereg were very unimpressive.
Somewhere Riznyk did not help out, there are huge questions about Konoplya and Bondar, and the team leader Sudakov does not play well. That's why the results are like this. I did not see enough dedication, aggressive football either. The team is not impressive. We even crushed Karpaty in the last game (5:2), but two such missed goals... And Karpaty had the opportunity to score more.
- So what's the reason? Did the coach overload his players in the summer?
- I can't answer this question, because he may have deliberately relied on bringing his players to their peak form by September, specifically for the Champions League matches.
In the league, Shakhtar can still improve their tournament situation: they have played too few games, and they will definitely fight for gold. But in the Champions League, it would be desirable to give a result immediately. After all, there are not 30 matches, but only eight.
- Is the defense the weakest link of this Shakhtar team?
- In the match against Karpaty, Shakhtar made a lot of mistakes in defense. Especially when Pidlepenets scored after a corner: Yevhen was shooting from the goalkeeper's area and no one was protecting him. The team is not improving in defense.
There are problems in defense - this is obvious. However, claims and huge questions before the start of the Champions League are not only to Konoplya and Bondar, but to all players. The team as a whole is not improving in defense.
Somehow, it is very easy for Shakhtar's opponents in the UPL to create chances at their goal. I don't even remember the last time the Pitmen conceded four goals in the domestic arena, as they did against Oleksandriya.
Shakhtar currently have no leader on the pitch. After Taras Stepanenko lost his permanent place in the starting lineup, it was Sudakov who should have taken on this role. As was evident in the last championship, Heorhiy tried to lead his teammates and sometimes tried too hard, pulling the blanket over himself.
- In the last game, Pušić decided to test a brightly attacking model, namely 4-1-2-3. Sikan was at the forefront of the attack against the Carpathians, with Zubkov and Kevin actively assisting him from the flanks. Should we expect the same tactics in the match against Bologna, given that it worked?
- It is very unlikely that we will have the same scheme. Let's remember last season. Did Shakhtar play with an eye to attacking football? No, they didn't. They acted more from the defense, mainly relying on their quick counterattacks. I believe that Pushic's team will play in the same way against Bologna and in European competitions in general.
In general, I'm really looking forward to the start of the Champions League. The new format seems very interesting to me. There will be more games.
- Yuriy Virt's prediction.
- I believe that the game will end in a productive draw: 1:1 or 2:2. If Shakhtar do not lose, it will be a positive result regardless of the score.
It's important to start the tournament on a major note. This can inspire the team and give them even more confidence in their own abilities.
Viktor Glukhenkyi
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