Jovicic: In the match against Leipzig we will fight from the first to the last minute

The head coach of Donetsk Shakhtar spoke about his expectations from the start in the Champions League.

Shakhtar will give their all in the match against Leipzig and will fight from the first to the last minute of the match. This was said at the pre-match press conference before the Champions League match by the head coach of the Donetsk team, Igor Jovicevich. At the same time, the specialist believes that his lack of experience playing in such matches will somehow affect the game of the Pitmen.

“Of course, I don’t have any experience in the Champions League, but I fill it with crazy motivation and adrenaline. At the same time, we have to keep the balance between playing in our minds and in our hearts. For the team to play good football in their debut, where they do not always experience plays an important role. Of course, this is a big factor, but sometimes young players do not think about the consequences – and this can be one of our trump cards.

I could feel from the first day of the training camp how the mood improved every day. And in the last fight, you will notice how much the team grows, how fighting qualities grow. And not only can you play football well, but when things get tough, the character appears at several points throughout the match. And in the last match I saw the team, and it pleases me as much as three points.

Therefore, tomorrow we will start the debut match against Leipzig with the same mood, which temporarily went through a small crisis in terms of results, but remains a good team. As for the physical condition, we gave a lot of strength in the last match. Playing in the minority for a long time requires a lot of strength – both moral, and physical, and mental. But I hope we spent a few days recovering and at the same time gave tactical information to the players about what could happen tomorrow in the match: when Leipzig has the ball, when it is without the ball, how the tomorrow’s game, how it defends, what kind of characteristics in general. And tomorrow there is a whole day for mental preparation, but I can assure you that we will be ready for the match.

First of all, tomorrow we represent not only the football club Shakhtar, which has been playing in the Champions League for the past 13-14 years, but we also represent Ukraine. And the minimum that the fans will see tomorrow is how we fight from the first to the last minute in the same way that the military is fighting today for the country and for all of us, so that we can be free. It is our responsibility as a team to play against such teams in the Champions League, keeping in mind the sporting results, but also representing the state in a war. Ukraine is the only country at the moment playing the championship in its territory, where there is a war. I’ll say it again: this is a huge responsibility and pride. And tomorrow we will do our best to successfully represent Ukraine,” Shakhtar’s official website quoted Jovicevic as saying.

Recall that the match in the first round of the group stage of the Champions League Leipzig – Shakhtar will take place today, September 6, and will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.

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