Former forward of "Shakhtar" Viktor Hrachov shared his expectations for the first official match of the Donetsk team in the 2025/2026 season.
Viktor Hrachov— Viktor Oleksandrovych, have you seen Shakhtar in action under the leadership of Arda Turan?
— Two friendly matches that the team played during the training camp are not enough to make any conclusions. In his interviews, the coach talks a lot about what he wants to do, but what I want and what I can are different things. Time, which the coach does not have, determines everything.
— In the last two matches, the miners scored two goals against not the strongest opponents.
— The fact that Shakhtar has problems with realization was shown by the last championship, which led to the worst result in the last 29 years. It is very rare for a new coach to come in and immediately the team starts scoring a lot of goals.
— In two friendlies, only three players started—Riznyk, Matviyenko, and Sudakov. Is the coach looking for an optimal lineup?
— In football, as it is established, the backbone of the team should consist of six to eight players from the central zone, who determine the structure of the team. Therefore, I agree that the coach is still searching.
— Ahead is a Europa League match against "Ilves". Can Shakhtar defeat this team without expending maximum effort?
— No. It is not possible to do that today. In European competitions, any opponent can create problems for the favorite, regardless of the fact that "Ilves" is a team of lower than average level, especially by European standards. However, Shakhtar needs to approach this confrontation with all seriousness. If that happens, then I expect to advance to the next round and a very difficult battle against the Turkish "Besiktas".
— Do you rule out a negative result for the Ukrainian team?
— If, God forbid, that happens, then Arda Turan has a chance to follow in the footsteps of Marino Pushych.
— Can the lack of official playing practice affect the potential of the miners?
— No. This question could have been raised about 15 years ago. Now, with modern training methodologies, two weeks of friendly matches are enough to gain good form. Especially since the summer break was not long.
Perhaps a little more time is needed when a new coach has taken charge of the team, but "Ilves" is not "Barcelona", so there is no need to look for any reasons in case of a negative result.
— What is your prediction for the match "Shakhtar"—"Ilves"?
— 2:0. This is the result that will allow the miners to confidently travel to Finland in a week.
Sergiy Demyanchuk
