Pushic: Tomorrow the opponents have equal chances, everything will be decided on the football field

Head coach Shakhtar Marino Pusic commented on the upcoming start of his team in Champions League 2024/25 away match against Bolognathe absolute debutant of the tournament.

“Of course, you could say that Bologna lost some important players this off-season, that happens. However, we should note that Bologna also managed to acquire some quality players during this period. I never single out individual players, for me it is the team and the team style of play that is important. Last season, Bologna as a team played at a very high level. And I would like to congratulate our opponent on the historic result they achieved last season. We are expecting a high-level match in the strongest club tournament in Europe.”

“At this level, as I noted, there can be no single out of any individuals, but regarding specific players, I can name Karlsson, with whom I had an interesting experience of cooperation at AZ Alkmaar, and of course I know most of the Croatians who represent the team, and I also have experience working in the Dutch championship, so the local Dutch players are not strangers to me either.”

“For me, this is a tournament of the highest level, where the teams’ chances are always 50/50 – and that’s the beauty of football. And in our match, the chances are also equal. Of course, certain top clubs can be singled out, but now football has reached a qualitatively new level, and all teams start the match with zero goals scored. Therefore, tomorrow the opponents’ chances are equal, everything will be decided on the football field.”

“If we talk about the situation as a whole, then, of course, the format is very different and requires a new approach to each game from any opponent. I think that this format should first be tested in practice in order to form a certain impression. In words, of course, a completely new approach is expected – at least in that now we need to prepare for a significantly larger number of opponents.”

“As for our attitude to the game and our approach, nothing will change significantly in our preparation for our opponents, we will prepare thoroughly for each match and give it our all. I think tomorrow’s match will be a great opportunity for us as a team to check how much the format has changed. And after the first few matches in the new Champions League format, we will be able to draw more or less conclusions about how much our approach to the opponent has changed.”

“Matvienko returned from the national team with a small injury, so we spared him in the match with Karpaty and gave him the opportunity to rest a little, given how busy his game schedule has been lately. But now he is with us, in perfect order and absolutely ready. As for his possible appearance on the field in the match with Bologna, tomorrow we will drink coffee and I will ask Nikolai how ready he is and how he feels. But knowing his character, I am sure that he will show complete readiness to give his all tomorrow and be with the team.”

The opening round match will take place tomorrow, September 18, in Bologna at the Renato Dall’Ara stadium. The match will kick off at 19:45 Kyiv time. Tickets for this match have been on sale for a long time. The Norwegian team led by Rohit Saggi will referee the rivals.

As previously reported, Shakhtar will play its 2024/25 Champions League home matches in Gelsenkirchen. Marino Pusic’s team will host their opponents at the Veltins Arena. Last season, Shakhtar’s home European arena was the Volksparkstadion in another German city, Hamburg.

Let us recall that according to the new Champions League regulations, points will be counted in the overall standings. The eight best teams will advance to the 1/8 finals directly. The remaining eight spots will be played out in a knockout round among the teams ranked 9th to 24th. The teams ranked 25th to 36th will no longer compete in European competitions.