Coach Jovicevic: Shaktar Donetsk deserves a place in the Champions League

Champions League after upheaval

Despite the major upheaval in the team, coach Igor Jovicevic sees RB Leipzig opponents Shakhtar Donetsk at the right level for the Champions League. “Obviously it’s an adventure for us. But we belong here. We may be young and inexperienced, but the motivation is great,” said the 48-year-old on Monday. The Ukrainian champions will start the group phase in Leipzig on Tuesday (9 p.m. / DAZN). It is the first international game since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February.

The many Brazilians who have shaped Shakhtar’s game for years have left the club – leaving only PAOK right-back Lucas Taylor (27) on loan. “Some players have experience. For others, it’s the chance they’ve been waiting for,” said the coach, emphasizing the importance of the encounter: “It’s very important for our compatriots that we fight on the pitch like they do at home on the front line.”

The most valuable professionals in Donetsk’s squad are no longer David Neres (25), Dodô (23) or Pedrinho (24), but the Ukrainians Mykola Matvienko (26), Mykhaylo Mudryk (21), who has been with Bayer Leverkusen for a long time, or Anatoliy Trubin (21 ). In addition to Taylor, Jovicevic has two other foreign players available: striker Lassina Traoré (21) and midfielder Neven Djurasek (24). Attacker Olarenwaju Kayode (29), officially returned from his loan to Sivasspor at the end of June, was not registered for the “premium class”. In the ranking of Champions League participants by squad values, Shakhtar is 29th out of 32 after the many departures.

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