According to the former forward of the Ukrainian national team, the Pitmen are now in an excellent emotional state
Ex-forward of Shakhtar and the national team of Ukraine Andriy Vorobey in an exclusive interview with SportArena spoke about the upcoming matches of Ukrainian teams in European competition.
– Andriy, what are your thoughts on the match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar?
– I expect from this match, like all Ukrainian fans, first of all, a good result. But we all look at things realistically and are well aware that Real Madrid has been a very strong team for the second year in a row and it is very difficult to play against them. Yes, Real Madrid drew 1-1 against Osasuna in La Liga this weekend. But there were a lot of circumstances: Real didn’t score a penalty, and Osasuna played well, and Ancelotti rotated the squad, because there was a tight schedule of games ahead. This result is not an indicator. Therefore, in general, it will be difficult for Shakhtar to play against Madrid.
I would like to note that in the starting two rounds the Pitmen took a fairly normal number of points, namely four. With Real, of course, it will be difficult to take points. But why not try to beat Madrid again? Moreover, probably, everyone has already noticed that Shakhtar is now in such high spirits. The team now has a good game and, accordingly, good results. This is very encouraging on the eve of such very important matches. The most important thing is, if, God forbid, there will be a negative result, so that Shakhtar does not break down after these fights. Because after the meetings with Real Madrid, the Pitmen will have the most important games.
– Daniil Sikan showed himself well in the games for the youth team of Ukraine and for Shakhtar. How would you rate the performance of the young striker?
– This pleases in anticipation of future matches not only with Real Madrid, but also with Leipzig and Celtic. It’s great that now strikers are starting to appear in Shakhtar, who should mind their own business. It’s too early to say anything. But I’m happy for the guy who scored a hat-trick for the Ukrainian youth team and for Shakhtar.
If someone says that he scored into an empty net, then I will answer that it does not matter. The main thing is to be in the right position and score. It’s the attacker’s job. So I’m happy for Sikan. It’s good for a guy, because he hasn’t scored in a long time and he didn’t have much playing time. Now, I think the coaching staff will have more confidence in Sikan. He is young, he needs to develop. And, if Daniil shoots, then, God forbid, we will all be very happy for him. His game is a big plus for competition in the attacking line. It’s also a plus for fans and experts. This gives hope that Shakhtar will do well in attack.
– Traore and Zubkov also added. Does Shakhtar’s offensive line look good enough now?
— Everyone has improved a lot, and now Shakhtar’s game really pleases. If we criticized Shakhtar’s play at the start of the season, as well as after the 0-5 loss to Roma, now we see clear progress. And that’s great. God grant that Shakhtar will only develop further.
– What do you think about the game Rennes – Dynamo in the Europa League?
– If we are talking about Shakhtar, we see his progress and the fact that the morale of the team is on the rise now. It is difficult to say such words about Dynamo. The people of Kiev are now experiencing personnel problems, because there are injured players. Also, the moral component of some performers leaves much to be desired. But we hope for a successful result and, of course, we will worry about them.
Although, again, it will be very difficult in the game against Rennes, because the French team is one of the favorites of this group. I believe that in a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, Rennes should have beaten the opponent. Therefore, Rennes is the favorite paired with Dynamo. It will be difficult for the Kievans in this match. Although we all know perfectly well that there is Mr. Lucescu, who is a very great strategist and who, perhaps, will come up with something. But now it is clear that at this stage it is very difficult for him to find some kind of general consensus with the youth. We see that matches are very difficult for the people of Kiev. Even with Minai, I would say, it was an equal game. At the end of the meeting, Transcarpathians could even equalize the score. Therefore, now Dynamo is experiencing problems in the game and in terms of personnel. It will be very difficult for them in the game with Rennes and here, of course, the clear favorite is the French.
— What do you think about the Conference League match Dnipro-1 – Vaduz?
– Of these three matches with the participation of Ukrainian teams, most of all there is faith that we will take three points in the Conference League match. The Dnipros are really on the rise now. They have a young team, which now shows, in principle, good football. Attacking players play well at Dnepr-1.
Of course, Vaduz should not be underestimated, because if not for the red card, it is still unclear how the match with AZ would have ended, which in the end the team from Alkmaar won with a score of 4:1. There should be no underestimation here. Because the defeat 1:4 from AZ does not correspond to what is happening on the field. But it gives hope that Dnepr-1 is playing confidently in the Ukrainian championship. There is a forward of the national team of Ukraine Dovbik and good legionnaires in the team. Dnipro have good players. And I think that although it will not be easy, the Ukrainian team should take three points. We hope so!
Dmitry Kotkov
Source: Sportarena
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