The head coach of Donetsk Shakhtar, Arda Turan, talked about what he expects from his team's return match against Turkish Besiktas in the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League, which will take place today in Krakow. Let us remind you that the first meeting of the opponents ended with a victory for the Donetsk team with a score of 4:2.
Arda Turan. Photo — shakhtar.com"This match may be the most psychologically special of the season, as "Besiktas" has its own history and past that allows the team to come back regardless of the circumstances.
We will treat football with respect and focus on the game as much as possible. Despite the fact that this is just the beginning of the season, for us, it is one of the finals that we will conduct this year. To progress and move to a new level, we will focus completely on this match, as in August we will have nine games in 30 days.
This will be a final for us, where we will play for victory. But facing "Besiktas" is never easy, because, as I have already said, they have history, and there are also very important players whom we need to respect. If we are even a little arrogant or relaxed in this game, the problems that arise may follow us throughout the season.
We will try to control the ball, but, of course, it will be difficult in the game against "Besiktas". There will be moments when they will have possession of the ball and keep it under control. We have plans for both situations. As I said, this will not be easy – there will be periods when "Besiktas" will put pressure on us, but this does not mean that we are playing poorly; on the contrary, it will be important to see that being able to defend well and build the game correctly is also very important. We are prepared for both scenarios, we have a plan, and I hope that tomorrow we will be able to implement it.
To be honest, we, with our coaching staff, expect a certain decline in our game, but we are ready for it. We will respond physically, searching for other game plans to compensate for it. It is very important that we are already at such a level. But, to reach the highest level and for the system to work and stabilize, of course, the short time is not enough. We have lost chances and made mistakes in the transition phase, but overall I am satisfied with the game and ball control. Yes, it is good that we are getting such results already at this stage, but more is needed for automation and mechanism. I believe that we are completely on the right track," Turan said at the pre-match press conference.
