Poltava’s defensive midfielder Dmytro Plakhtyr shared the mindset with which his team is preparing for the 12th round match of the Ukrainian Championship against Donetsk’s Shakhtar, which will take place this Sunday in Lviv.
— Ahead is the game against Shakhtar, Poltava will play for the first time with one of the two giants of Ukrainian football. Is there any feeling in the team like «we have nothing to gain from this game»?
— No. Firstly, it will be interesting to play with the giant Shakhtar for the first time in my life. We’re definitely going there for points. If not going for points, then I see no point in playing football at all. We would like to do this and annoy the giant.
— You are the team captain, you’ve been playing in it for a long time. As a leader, what qualities of your team would you highlight? Because many point to the tough and physical style of Poltava’s play, even calling them lumberjacks.
— Wow, lumberjacks. I’d highlight two qualities — dedication and work ethic. As long as I’ve been on the team, we’ve never needed to say anything, to motivate anyone. As for lumberjacks — many matches, including against Alexandria — they hit us more than we did, so I don’t agree with that.