The head coach of “Shakhtar” Arda Turan expressed his opinion regarding a possible meeting with “Beşiktaş” in the qualification of the Europa League, if the team manages to get past the Finnish “Ilves”.
Arda Turan“First of all, I have great respect for ‘Beşiktaş’, which has a rich history. It is one of the main teams in Turkey. But we cannot think about ‘Beşiktaş’, for us, there is only the first round — with a team from Finland. We have to play our best, because they are already ready. For us, this is a wrong path. Football requires extreme seriousness. My life is full of such bitter experiences. Therefore, the match requires special attention, so I forbid everyone, including you, to think about ‘Beşiktaş’.
But first, “Shakhtar” will face Finnish “Ilves”. They have a strong physical structure. We know their tactics and will be ready, as they have been playing in the league for a long time. We will play the second match on synthetic turf, so we will show our class from the first minute. The main goal is to be in the best shape. Tactically, we rely on the players’ cleverness — this will be our advantage. We are preparing, albeit without excessive activity. It is important to be physically at their level. Tactically, the players are smart, we are working more on the physical aspect,” — quotes Turan the official website of “Shakhtar”.
