As Mircea Lucescu's Shakhtar Donetsk ready to face Portuguese giant Sporting in Lisbon, they have seen their league play improve recently included this past weekends 3-1 victory over Zorya Luhansk. While not a "perfect" match, the Miners are showing signs of improvement and putting the early season problems away.After the match Mircea Lucescu remarked of the match:
"We won. That’s the only thing that matters. It wasn’t easy to play against a team who hardly created a scoring opportunity in 90 minutes. They were playing defensive football. Before the match we analysed all the goals that we had conceded before. Most of them were scored from standard positions, from corners, from free kicks. We noticed that it hadn’t been due to any team-mistakes but solely due to individual faults. It seemed that we were conceding on purpose, to give the opponents chance to continue their pressure and then to break the course of a match to prove to ourselves that we are capable of doing it. After that it ain’t easy to play a team that have put all eleven men behind the ball. I am not satisfied with the fact that we had to make that much efforts to achieve result. We could have done it much more easier. We lost a number of opportunities after we had made it 2-1. Again, we lost concentration and it didn’t allow us to score more. Nevertheless, I am glad we took the three points. Now we are more enthusiastic to meet Sporting next Tuesday."
Sitting in third place after a series of disappointing Champions League matches where the Miners discarded points late, a victory in Lisbon would bring them level with Sporting with two matches to play.
Regarding the match he commented:
"We are not going to concede tomorrow. We’ve got to organise the match in such a way that we could win it. We could have beaten them in Donetsk. But it happened so, that we made a mistake which allowed Sporting to win. We, in our turn, created 4-5 opportunities after which we could have scored. Besides, the team were depressed after the dramatic match with Barcelona. But now we feel much better. I hope we shall be able to play the tomorrow’s match better. Sporting are a well-organised side, especially when it goes about defensive actions. After their result in Donetsk they shall be more careful here. We must try to avoid making silly amateur mistakes."
When asked of the tactical plan and whether the Miners would use the same plan that helped them beat Benfica to the match he added:
These are two rather different matches. We practically have the same line-up that we fielded against Benfica. Our players have matured during the year. Naturally, Sporting are in a better position asthey have won the first leg of the tie. They can allow themselves to control the match. A draw would be a satisfactory result for them, whereas Shakhtar will only be satisfied with a win.
Sporting manager Paulo Bento is aware his club sits on the verge of qualifying for the final sixteen: "We know that if we win, we're virtually through to the last sixteen."
"We have a clear objective – to get the points that will practically secure qualification for us. We have faith in our ability to go into the game strongly, and when a team has qualities like ours does, and is playing at home with a great atmosphere behind them, of course we feel we have a good chance to win. It would be great for the club, the players, and the coach as well. We displayed great togetherness in Donetsk, and we know we'll approach this match with belief and on the front foot."
