Taras Stepanenko: In the match vs Spaniards, motivation will be sky-high

24-03-15 09:00:01

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Ahead of the game of Ukraine national team, Shakhtar midfielder shared his expectations in an interview to the official site.

- Taras, what’s the atmosphere in the national team?
- Everyone’s mood is excellent. We have already managed to talk to one another, especially those who have not seen each other for ages. The atmosphere is good. The more so as we are all fully ready and prepared for this encounter.

- In the current qualifying round, Ukraine conceded only one goal ...
- And this is great indeed! Therefore, in the match against Spain we will try to act as cautiously as we did in previous meetings. We plan to defend, and, of course, to counterattack. We will also try to make sure that the whole team play effectively in every area. Plus it’s necessary not to make any mistakes, because they will cost too much in the game against the Spaniards.

- Ukraine and Spain share the second spot at the moment. Does it add motivation?
- I would put it like this – another stimulus is the fact that Slovakia sits in the top spot at the moment. So far, they have been very lucky in this qualifying round. Although everyone understands that in this match, each player’s motivation will be sky-high.

- You’ve become the main character of the first issue of the club magazine in the new format ...
- ... And downloaded it straight away! It was cool. I just need some time to thoroughly study it – it has so much cool stuff!

FC Shakhtar