Games vs Zorya are always difficult

- Serhii, Shakhtar had their last official match on August 25 in the Ukrainian Super Cup. How much can this break affect the performance and the form of the team?

- I don't think it will at all. We are fully prepared. Some players were on international duty, some trained, we had games, it was real heat. Since Monday, Shakhtar have resumed their usual weekly training mode. We get prepared and understand that we’re facing a busy schedule. There will be less time for preparation as more attention should be paid to recovery between matches. This is part of our job.

- What’s the reason behind Zorya's unsuccessful Premier League start, according to you? What kind of play should we expect from the opponents?

- I don’t want to assess Zorya – we primarily need to prepare ourselves. It is always very difficult for Shakhtar to play and even score goals against the Luhansk side, so we expect a battle on the field.

- What can you say about the changes in the opposing squad?

- The players who were key in my opinion, have left. It’s difficult to say how well the new signings who replaced them have fit in. We have high expectations: we believe in winning and will do our best for that.

- After Zorya, Shakhtar will have only two days of rest between the games. How hard will it be to overcome this stage?

- There’s nothing new for us. We need to go through this cycle at the club now, followed by the national teams’ games. When the Champions League kicks off, we’ll have games every three days, and this schedule is normal for us. All of our players are professionals who know how to stay in shape. We will be one hundred percent ready and we must deliver a good result.