Avci: Playing against Shakhtar is a chance to prove ourselves
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
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Head coach of Istanbul Basaksehir reflects on the upcoming match
– What percent chance would you say you have in a duel with the Pitmen?
– We have great respect for our opponents. If I'm not mistaken, Shakhtar played in the Champions League for six consecutive years, and before that the team had won the UEFA Cup. Over the past ten years, under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu, the Donetsk club gained invaluable experience that did not disappear. As for us, we have only played in the Europa League in the last two seasons, and a game against Shakhtar is another chance to prove ourselves in international tournaments. Istanbul Basaksehir will in any case try to advance to the group stage, although we are well aware of the level of our opponents.
– What is your plan for the game?
– When we watched our opponents, we found that the Ukrainian team have a good, high quality line-up. They have a very strong defence and the Brazilians play the main role in attacks. But we will have a game plan. And since the match starts with the score of 0-0, we have a chance for a positive result. Let's see how we will manage to implement our ideas.
– How much is Paulo Fonseca's Shakhtar different from Mircea Lucescu's?
– Regardless of the change of coach, the Donetsk squad have experience of playing at the highest level. And this cannot be taken away from them. Regarding the differences, there are some, both in defensive play and in the attack. We noticed them and will try to think of something to neutralize the opponents' strong points.
Photo by ibfk.com.tr
– We have great respect for our opponents. If I'm not mistaken, Shakhtar played in the Champions League for six consecutive years, and before that the team had won the UEFA Cup. Over the past ten years, under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu, the Donetsk club gained invaluable experience that did not disappear. As for us, we have only played in the Europa League in the last two seasons, and a game against Shakhtar is another chance to prove ourselves in international tournaments. Istanbul Basaksehir will in any case try to advance to the group stage, although we are well aware of the level of our opponents.
– What is your plan for the game?
– When we watched our opponents, we found that the Ukrainian team have a good, high quality line-up. They have a very strong defence and the Brazilians play the main role in attacks. But we will have a game plan. And since the match starts with the score of 0-0, we have a chance for a positive result. Let's see how we will manage to implement our ideas.
– How much is Paulo Fonseca's Shakhtar different from Mircea Lucescu's?
– Regardless of the change of coach, the Donetsk squad have experience of playing at the highest level. And this cannot be taken away from them. Regarding the differences, there are some, both in defensive play and in the attack. We noticed them and will try to think of something to neutralize the opponents' strong points.
Photo by ibfk.com.tr