Famous Ukrainian coach, former midfielder of Kyiv’s “Dynamo” Volodymyr Sharan shared his expectations for the matches of the teams in the Ukrainian championship in the qualification of the European cups.
Volodymyr Sharan— Volodymyr Bohdanovych, what can we expect in the Europa League qualifiers from “Shakhtar” in the confrontation with “Besiktas” against the backdrop of the games of the Donetsk team with “Ilves”?
— In the first match with the Finnish team, of course, the class of “Shakhtar” was evident, and this attitude was very pleasing, to be honest. Why? Because it is clear that the team has a different coach now, and, of course, the requirements are different. The training load has also been different, as far as I know. And, undoubtedly, this game showed that the team really looked great! Now we are looking forward to great hopes before the match with “Besiktas”.
As for the second match with the Finns, the teams played on artificial turf. I understand the players perfectly. And still, when the score of the first match is 6:0, it is indeed hard to expect any kind of self-sacrifice. However, you understand, the coefficient for Ukraine! This was a bit upsetting because I would like Ukraine to win all the time! This concerns our teams and national teams.
— Did you want “Shakhtar” to win in the second match?
— Yes, yes. We wanted a victory. There were prerequisites to achieve a positive result, namely a victory. But now we are looking forward to the matches with “Besiktas”.
— What do you think about the confrontation between Kyiv’s “Dynamo” and the Maltese “Hamrun Spartans” in the Champions League qualification?
— “Dynamo” should definitely pass the team “Hamrun Spartans”. It’s hard to say what the main lineup of the Kyiv team will be, but in principle, the winter training sessions showed that they are on the right track. I mean that the Kyivans prepared for the second half of the season and won golden medals for “Dynamo”. I think that the coaching staff has gained some experience by now. Although the results in these training sessions, let’s say, were not positive at all for the Dynamo players. But we hope that the Dynamo players should succeed! Such teams should progress if they have serious goals set for themselves.
— “Hamrun” also surprised by eliminating “Zalgiris”!
— The team is serious! That’s for sure. Because they will go onto the field and will fight. No doubt about it. And it is very difficult to play against such teams. Will it be as easy a stroll as, let’s say, for “Shakhtar”? Definitely not. This is a different level, let’s say. This is the Champions League!
— And “Oleksandriya” will play in the Conference League qualifiers against “Partizan”!
— “Oleksandriya” will pass, “Oleksandriya” is very strong! We believe in “Oleksandriya” and everything will be fine. The Oleksandriyans should pass “Partizan”.
Dmytro Kotkov
