Josep Guardiola: Match with Shakhtar won’t be easy

16-02-15 22:35:32

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On the eve of the Shakhtar – Bayern game, Bayern’s coach answered reporters' questions.

- Are all the players now in Lviv? We know that Alonso did not play last weekend. What happened to him? Could you tell us about the situation in the team?
- All players, who have come, are in great form. The only questions, which arise, have to do with those players who stayed in Germany due to injuries or suspensions.

- You have faced Shakhtar several times during your spell with Barcelona. What are your best memories of those matches?
- I have faced Shakhtar five times, and would like to say that I have great respect for Mr. Lucescu, the career that he has been building throughout his life. Also, I would like to highlight Luiz Adriano, Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Marlos. And Jaroslav Rakytskyy - he has one of the best left feet I have ever seen. I would also single out the team’s captain Darijo Srna, who’s also the captain of Croatia. Such captain is a talisman for any team.  I am emphasizing the qualities of Shakhtar’s players. And now it is very important to prevent such an error as the underestimation of Shakhtar. Of course, Bayern want to show the best game. Because in order to advance to the Champions League last 8, you should always show the best performance. 

- Mircea Lucescu said that if you overcome Shakhtar, you can win the Champions League. Do you agree?
- First of all, we need to beat Shakhtar. This is the first step on the road to success. Everyone knows my warm attitude towards Mircea Lucescu. I think he is a very wise man and a coach, given what career he has made. There’s a very long way to success for Bayern. As I said, Shakhtar is only the first step.

- What form is Badstuber in? Is he ready to play tomorrow?
- If a player is with the team on the road, in Lviv, it means he is ready to enter the field. Badstuber has trained very intensively of late. He is in good shape. Tomorrow, I am going to take a decision on whether he will play.

- Are you willing to field Xabi Alonso? He has had fitness problems...
- Alonso had a good training session - both today and yesterday. I will take a final decision tomorrow afternoon.

- There is an opinion about Schweinsteiger and Alonso: they are quite slow when both of them play. What do you think about this?
- These two players are needed in the team, as they say, not because of their feet, but because of their goals! First of all, they need to be faster in their thoughts.

- How good is Alaba’s form? Can we say that today he is stronger than before the injury?
- David is a young player. And what he is showing now is not everything that he is capable of. I am sure in the future Alaba may become one of the best players in the world.

- Have you managed to create your dream team at Bayern?
- Football is a process, it is always in motion. Ideals are unreachable. I always try to use different squads, analyse the situation and try to improve it. But, as I said, I haven’t reached the ideal.

- Why have you not deployed Robert Lewandowski in recent games? Will you field him this time?
- Robert almost always plays.

- What result will satisfy you tomorrow?
- We just want to play a good match, show our best quality. I cannot predict the outcome, but the main thing is to show a brilliant game. We can lose these two games, if we do not demonstrate an appropriate level of football.

- What do you think about the fact that Reus has extended his contract with Borussia Dortmund?
- Marco Reus is a Dortmund player. He remains their player. I won’t make any comments on this issue.

- There was information that Ribery would not play due to injury. What could you say about that? Could you tell us about the injured players, who surely won’t take to the pitch?
- Regarding Ribery, he is with us. Frank was injured. Nevertheless, he already had a good match and is now in good shape. As for the other players with injuries, these are Philipp Lahm, Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez.   

- Shakhtar’s forward Luiz Adriano took 11 shots on target at the group stage, scoring 9 goals. How will you contain him? Will your defenders man-mark him?
- A few years ago I was talking to Mircea Lucescu, and even back then he told me that 11 best strikers play for his team. Now I am ready to prove it. Adriano is indeed a top-class player.

- Is it possible to say that Robben is half of Bayern? Is it difficult to replace him?
- He is very important to us, especially for our attack. Fortunately or unfortunately, one player does not win the match. Arjen Robben wouldn’t be able to get a single victory without the support of the team. In recent years, he has had a few injuries, and now he means a lot to the club. I am very pleased with him. When Arjen is on the ball, he surprises everyone with his movements and attacking skills.

- Surely you've recently watched a lot of Shakhtar’s matches. How hard is it to beat Shakhtar tactically?
- I have faced Lucescu’s team on five occasions. Many players have left and came over this time: Brandao - Adriano, Jadson - Teixeira, Ilsinho - Douglas Costa, Chygrynskiy - Rakitskiy. Only Pyatov is constant. It was difficult to win in every game versus Shakhtar. Once we managed to win only in extra time, once we lost to Shakhtar at home. Therefore, I have always believed, and now I think it's a very strong European team. Tomorrow's match won’t be easy. It will be hard.

FC Shakhtar
Press Office