Oleksandr Gladkyy: We are not interested in Stal’s problems

17-09-15 14:23:02

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Shakhtar forward speaks about the upcoming Ukrainian League match.

- Oleksandr, over the seven league rounds Stal have claimed just seven points and two wins ...
- But this does not mean that the opponents will not cause us any problems. I'm sure it will be a very tough game. Especially as each team have their own additional motivation.

- Do you mean that Shakhtar would want to prove themselves to the fans again, with Stal willing to show what they are capable of in the match against such rivals?
- Exactly! I am confident that the Premier League newcomers will try to do everything possible just to grab the headlines, especially in the clash with Shakhtar. Meanwhile, we need to get rehabilitated after the meeting with Real Madrid. I think that on Saturday, an exciting and interesting game awaits the fans. In which the most important thing for us is winning and claiming the three points.

- In this league season, Stal conceded only seven goals. As we understand, it will be difficult to break through their defence?
- That’s wrong to speculate ahead whatever game whether it will be hard for us to score against the opponents or not quite! Moreover, I would not discover America if I say that the majority of Ukrainian teams playing against Shakhtar, try to operate defensively. Stal are no exception. But we are used to it. Shakhtar are very seriously preparing for this match. We will do our best to win on Saturday.

- Ahead of the match against Shakhtar, Stal have a number of injured players: the team captain Kalenchuk, the main striker Debelko as well as Ovsepyan. The participation of Pshenychnykh and Ischenko in the match is highly questioned. Will it play into the hands of Shakhtar?
- I always support the opinion that we should not pay any attention to the opponents. That’s exactly  what Shakhtar do! We are not interested in the opponents’ problems, as well as their failures. We have our team who have their own goals. Plus, no one can be sure that because of the absence of these very players, Stal will be unable to perofrm. Since that's football, the team game, it rarely depends solely on one or two players here. For us the most important thing is to show some outstanding, spectacular game, stepping it up from match to match.

- Will Shakhtar have enough time to recover after the Champions League game? First of all, psychologically.
- Of course, what happened on Tuesday was a shocker for us. I think all of us will long remember that clash in Madrid! But we are professionals: you have to draw the right conclusions and move on, get prepared and cultivate our abilities.