Shakhtar to start in the Pari-Match League

19-07-15 10:07:42

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Shakhtar start their 2015-16 campaign. On 19 July at 17:00, the Pitmen will play the first round of 26 of the Pari-Match League versus Oleksandriya.

The Pitmen have regularly participated in the Ukrainian league. The team have taken part in all the seasons starting from 1992 and won the league title on 9 occasions.

In the current football year, as in the previous one, the Pitmen will again have to play their home matches away from home… Shakhtar will entertain the visitors at the Arena Lviv, which holds over 34,000 fans.

Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu has been at the helm of the team for 12 years now. Mister is the club’s record holder in terms of the length of the period as head coach. Despite that a number of players, who left Shakhtar in the summer pre-season – Luiz Adriano, Douglas Costa, Ilsinho and Fernando – the Pitmen’s head coach is strongly convinced: this fact won’t affect Shakhtar’s general principles of play.

- In the new season we will continue playing in the attacking manner, - Mister notes. – Our organisation of the game involves constant attacking moves. Every year sees us score more than any other team! Now our squad is much more skilful.

After Luiz Adriano’s departure, Alex Teixeira has been assigned as vice captain. In the 2014-15 season, He became the league top scorer. By the way, now the Brazilian player has scored the highest number of goals for Shakhtar in the Premier League – 45. Overall, in the Shakhtar squad, it is Oleksandr Hladkyi, who has netted the highest number of goals in the Ukrainian league – 73 goals.

The team’s leader in terms of the highest number of games played in the league is captain Darijo Srna (289 games). The Croatian footballer has played 452 games in all the competitions to become the second player in the history of the club after legendary Mykhailo Sokolovskiy in this regard.

- We have started the season very well, already winning the Super Cup, - Darijo says. - So the psychology has changed: now there is confidence that was missing last season. And we are ready! The new season has arrived. I strongly believe in this team and am confident that we can get good results.

During the pre-season, Eduardo has returned to Shakhtar. Earlier, the Croat played quite successfully in the team. He knows well the team, training process and the club’s philosophy. The head coach also counts on the players, who returned from loan: midfielder Vasyl Kobin and forward Facundo Ferreyra. Besides, the Pitmen’s squad also featured young players who have proved themselves well: Mykola Matvienko, Maksym Malyshev and Serhiy Gryn.

The league format will be the same as in the previous season. Teams will play 26 rounds. It should be noted that the First League winners Oleksandriya and Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk, who finished second, will play in the top flight division instead of Illichivets and Metalurh Donetsk. Shakhtar will start the season against one of the newcomers.

We would like to remind you that the match between Shakhtar and Oleksandria will take place on 19 July at 17:00 at the Arena Lviv. Tickets for the game can be purchased online and on the official site of FC Shakhtar as well as in the stadium ticket office.