Ahead of the Saturday’s game vs Dnipro the Shakhtar head coach Mircea Lucescu answered the journalists’ questions during the Pitmen’s open training session.
– How motivated will the players be given that the Pitmen have already been crowned champions?
– I think none of the players forgets that he wears the Shakhtar jersey. Greater motivation than that, probably, does not exist for them. It will be the season’s last game at the Donbass Arena, a kind of farewell to our fans, plus the awarding ceremony. There will be enough motivation for the players in order to achieve a positive outcome.
– Is the match against Dynamo considered more important?
– Both games are very important. We are playing against two very good teams. Usually, these matches serve as a mirror of the players’ true level. We will be thinking about the Cup final only after the championship game.
– Has Dentinho already arrived in Donetsk?
– I do not know yet.
– What do you think about him?
– It is still not known yet. To date, Shakhtar players are those, who are now training. They will play in the championship fixture and in the Cup match. As for the future related issues we will discuss them after May 25.
– What condition is Rakytskyy in? Is he expected to feature for the Pitmen in the next match?
– He will not play on Saturday, we do not want to take risks – he already has seven yellow cards. He will be preparing for the Cup game.
– Perhaps, there will be some problems in defence as two key players, Chygrynskyy and Rakytskyy, will be missing the next game…
– There are other players; they are all players of FC Shakhtar. They must prove that they deservedly have a place in this team. They are experienced footballers; they must replace those, who will not participate in the upcoming match. It will be very important
for them to show what they are capable of. This game will determine whether we can rely on them in subsequent games.
– Is there anyone else who will be missing this game?
– The rest of the team is getting ready for this clash, we will decide upon the players who will play in this match depending on their conditions. Actually, the focal point regarding the squad for the upcoming game concerns the players who will have to watch the match in the stands. There are six of them. Obviously, those, who will be included in the players’ list for this game, will be happy. More important for me is to motivate those who will be left out of the match squad.
– Kucher is training with the squad. Is he fit to play?
– May be you saw the match with Vorskla in which he played. Hopefully, this week his condition will get even better.
– Mr. Lucescu, when does the first training camp begin?
– On June 14, we are planning to be back from holidays and on June 15, we will be flying for our training camp. Very few players will take part in the first training camp. As for footballers, who play for their national teams, I will give them extra three or four days of rest. They will join the team on June 20. There are some players like Jadson, who may return to the team at the end of July if he is called up for his national side. Youth team players, who are participating in the European Championship, will return very late as well. Let’s hope that they will join us after the last game that is after the final. In general, there are certain problems regarding the first training camp.
– Do you think Illichivets will stay up?
– I am running my team. They have their own coaches, who are better informed about the state of their side.
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