Malyshev: We are facing a great match

- Do you worry a lot before the upcoming game?
- No, I’m not particularly worried, I’m just focused. Tomorrow we are facing a tough game against the strong opponents. We have reviewed several games of Gent. And I want to say that their performance corresponds to a good level, they khow how to play football. We must be very focused and collected, in order to achieve a positive result.

- We’ve noticed that Gent make great transitions from defence to attack. Accordingly, you, the midfielders, will have additional workload. Has the coach drawn your attention to the fact?
- Right, the Belgians have pacey, technical players. So it will be tough tomorrow. But the coach will prompt us how to deal better with the team. And we, in turn, will try to fulfil his requirements.

- Have you had a word with any Shakhtar footballer playing in Belgium on loan?
- I think the coach will explain it better than friends. But I actually talked to Ruslan Malynovskyi, and Andriy Totovytskyi, and Serhii Bolbat. Everyone gave me some positive feedback about Gent, predicting an interesting game. Just like us, the Belgians prefer fluid attacking football. So, I think we are facing a great match.

- Gent operate deploying three defenders. Can you recall a game against the opponents having the same formation?
- Personally, I have not ever met with the teams picking the same formation as Gent. But we analysed the opponents’ games, with the coach pointing out their strengths and telling us how to behave. So, I think we scrutinised the Belgians well and will try to do our best to achieve a positive result.

- Shakhtar haven’t conceded a single goal in the current Europa League group stage. Would you like to continue keeping your goal intact? And the second point: in the first match against Konyaspor you claimed a 1-0 win, in the second one against Braga – 2-0. Logically, tomorrow it’s gonna be 3-0?
- Of course, we want to play well ddefensively and extend our Europa League run of clean sheets. But tomorrow, we must be balanced in our every third - both defensively and offensively. And, of course, we would like your wishes to come true.

- What are Gent’s strengths that were pointed out to you by the coaching staff primarily?
- They have a peculiar 3-5-2 formation. It's a bit unusual, because we haven’t played against any opponents with such formation. They have good attacking players, the team themselves are technical and they prefer fluid football. These are the qualities pointed out by the coach.

- Who would you highlight among the Gent players? Who do you remember better than the others?
- I would highlight, first of all, their teamwork. All the guys are top level, showcasing some quality performance.

You can buy tickets for this match at the Arena Lviv ticket office, online on shakhtar.com and partner sites (kasa.in.ua, internet-bilet.ua, esport.in.ua, tickethunt.net).