Ex-defender of Shakhtar Donetsk, Oleksandr Kucher, shared his expectations for today’s match of his former team with Iceland’s Breidablik in the 3rd round of the main stage of the Conference League.
Oleksandr Kucher— Of course, Shakhtar is the favorite in the match against Breidablik. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the Icelandic team plays poorly in away matches in European competitions. In the Champions League qualification, they were heavily defeated by Poland’s Lech (1:7), and in the Conference League not long ago by Switzerland’s Lausanne (0:3). Probably, they struggle with long flights and playing on two fronts. They can’t handle the pace and load.
In the domestic arena, Breidablik also shows not the best results: they won only two games out of the last ten. It’s challenging for the team to play two matches a week.
Secondly, why I consider Shakhtar the favorite, we all perfectly understand that in terms of selection and the level of players, the Donetsk team is much stronger than their opponents, which they should prove on the football field. The main thing is to avoid underestimating the opponent, and everything will be fine.
— And thirdly, in my opinion, Shakhtar players should be in a great mood after they defeated Dynamo in the UPL. Or, on the contrary, might this play a bad joke? Did the Brazilians celebrate too much and will they come out on the field in Krakow disorganized, relaxed perhaps?
— I think the victory over Dynamo should give Shakhtar players psychological confidence, which was perhaps somewhat lacking after unsuccessful results on the domestic front [1:4 loss to Cherkasy’s LNZY, 0:0 draw with Polissya, 1:2 loss to Dynamo in the Ukrainian Cup] and in European competitions [failure against Legia 1:2].
Therefore, positive emotions should help Shakhtar, not hinder them. They should give them not only confidence in their abilities but also a certain audacity in the good sense of the word. Especially the new young Brazilians who joined the team in the summer — Lucas Moreira, Isaque Silva — to completely believe in themselves.
— If Shakhtar’s Brazilian legion catches the wave, could we see a repeat of the game with Ilves, where the unfortunate Finns were torn apart 6:0? Or should we not expect a flurry of goals in Krakow?
— Of course, I would like to see a lot of goals. If they come out focused, motivated, and angry, then I suppose we can really see quite a few goals. If they are relaxed, they might pay for it.
Even though Breidablik’s players are of a lower class, they are very organized. They will play until the last minute, fight, and give their all regardless of the score at the moment. Roughly like the Icelandic national team in the game against Ukraine (3:5). They certainly have the dedication and desire to do everything as it should be.
Shakhtar needs to defeat Breidablik because, in the case of an unsuccessful result following the emotional uplift from the victory over Dynamo, there might be a fall into a psychological pit.
— And finally, your prediction for the match Shakhtar — Breidablik. In your opinion, with what score will the game end in Krakow?
— The main thing is to win. Maybe it will be 3:0 in favor of Shakhtar... The more they score, the better.
Victor Glukhovensky
