Today, October 2, Shakhtar will begin its participation in the group stage of the Conference League. Their first match will take place in Scotland against local team Aberdeen. Who is the favorite and what will be the final score, former Shakhtar midfielder Igor Leonov shares.
Igor Leonov— Igor Ivanovich, what are your expectations ahead of Shakhtar’s first match in the Conference League group?
— To be honest, I wanted expectations from the Champions League, or at least from the Europa League. The Conference League? I don’t know, it’s not a tournament for Shakhtar. But since it has turned out this way, there is nothing left but to advance from the group to the playoffs; otherwise, there can be no excuses. In the match against Aberdeen, it’s essential to score first, preferably in the first half of the first half. Then it will be much easier.
— In your opinion, what is the current level of understanding between Arda Turan and his players?
— I won’t say anything new, I can only assert that a team cannot be built in such a short period of time. I can only assume that now, as you said, the understanding between the coach and the players is perhaps about 70%, no more. It’s evident that the miners are trying to dominate, but they don’t always succeed. But matches like the one against Rukh don’t count; the class difference between the opponents was too great.
— The miners have moved to first place in the championship. Will this boost the team’s confidence?
— Undoubtedly. When you are the leader, it’s psychologically easier to prepare for subsequent matches. Although the current championship in the UPL is quite even. Everyone is losing points. Despite the drop in the level of competition, the championship is interesting with many unpredictable results. I think the champion will be decided at the final stretch.
— The Scottish team has not yet won in its championship.
— That’s right. The opponent, in my opinion, is experiencing a crisis. If I’m not mistaken, considering last season, Aberdeen hasn’t won in the national championship for ten matches in a row, and they lost in nine of those encounters. However, the match against Shakhtar is a completely different story. I’m sure the Scots, with the support of the fans, will give their all for the victory.
— Is Shakhtar the favorite in the match against Aberdeen?
— Without a doubt. This is not Celtic or Glasgow Rangers. And this status is something Arda Turan’s team must prove on the pitch.
— What is your prediction for the upcoming match?
— Not just because I will be rooting for the Ukrainian team, but simply because the quality of Shakhtar’s players is much higher, I predict a confident victory for the miners with a score of 3:1.
Sergei Demyanchuk
