For the first time in his managerial career, Turkish international Arda Turan will step into the quarter final of UEFA competition as Shakhtar Donetsk face AZ Alkmaar in Europa League on Thursday night.
Crossing Lech Poznan in Round of 16 with 4-1-1 formation, Donetsk players have gained confidence before the trip to Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana (Krakow). Following the form, Shakhtar Donetsk players such as Elias, Newerton and Bondar will give the advantage for Arda Turan side.
Recently, The Pitmen have crushed Rukh Lviv by 3-0 aggregate in their domestic competation called Ukrainian Premier League.
AZ Alkmaar, on the pace of winning side, have outperformed in Round of 16 registering a huge win against Sparta Praha in aggregate (4:0, 2:1). Concerning their form ahead of Quarter final encounter, the Lee-Roy Echteld side have won 13 matches out of 29 and sits at 6th in the Eredivisie points table.
Where Donetsk chasing for the first place on the table with 15 win in just 21 games so far in Ukrainian Premier League.
Before the trip to Krakow, both team has only met once in International competition. Although, AZ Alkmaar played a friendly match against Shakhtar Donetsk which ended in a draw. Considering the head to head record of both side, The Cheese Farmers holds the edge to win this clash and qualify for the semifinal.
The Cheese Farmers have travelled to Poland without Isak Jensen following his suspension and Denso Kasius sidelined due to not being fully fit. On the other hand, Hungarian Centre-forward Bendegúz Kovács is added to the squad.
Addressing the press conference on the eve of quarter final, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Arda Turan stated AZ Alkmaar as most dangerous opponents in football and backed their players to play strongly against the Dutch side.
Tomorrow we will face a very serious opponent. We have to play on both sides – both in defense and in attack. This is a quarter-final, and AZ Alkmaar is an opponent worthy of a quarter-final. We respect our opponent and their playing culture a lot, but we also know who we are – Shakhtar. Without hiding behind excuses, we will try to play well and do our best. We will not back down. I think we will have a good first match of the quarter-finals tomorrow.
💬 «Це чвертьфінал, і «АЗ Алкмар» – суперник, гідний чвертьфіналу»
