Today, October 23, a group stage match of the Conference League between Shakhtar and Legia will take place in Krakow, Poland. Former Shakhtar forward Viktor Hrachov shared his expectations for this match.
— Viktor Oleksandrovych, first of all, can you explain Shakhtar’s recent not quite successful results in the domestic arena?
— Arda Turan should explain that. But from my side, I can assume that Shakhtar might have hit a slump, maybe they’ve accumulated fatigue. However, the current situation is more related to traveling than a busy match schedule. The team practically does not have a full training process.
Of course, it knocks you off balance when you lose 1:4, as happened in the match with LNZ. Especially since such failures rarely occur for Shakhtar. Dmitro Riznyk’s goal was like an open passage. It caught my eye that the last time something similar happened was almost 10 years ago when Donetsk lost to Dnipro with the same score.
But it has always been the case that in European competitions there is a different attitude towards games, so I believe that Shakhtar will appear in good form in Krakow. Especially since our team started the group stage of the Conference League successfully. However, given the current personnel problems of the team, the most important thing is for the head coach to get the lineup right for today’s match.
We all expect a good result from the Ukrainian team at least because this will be Shakhtar’s 300th match in European competitions.
— Is Shakhtar the favorite in the confrontation with Legia?
— I think so. If the miners choose the right tactics and give their all, everything will work out for us. Legia is currently not in the best shape. The team had a poor start in the Conference League, and in the championship, the Warsaw team is in ninth place, so the opponent must be taken warm. If Shakhtar does not beat this Legia, then who will they beat.
— What is your prediction for the upcoming match?
— Given that Shakhtar currently has problems with finishing, I assume that the miners will win 2:1. Let’s not count the opponent out too quickly. Three points are given for both a minimal and a big victory. And we need points for the country’s piggy bank.
Sergiy Demianchuk