"Less talent, but strong team"

GAMES - INTERVIEWS How strong is Shakhtar Donetsk? Nobody knows it better at Anderlecht than Oleg Iachtchouk. "In the past Shakhtar were even able to win against Real Madrid, but that time is over now", Iachtchouk claims.

"Shakhtar are the favorites for this match but they are not as strong as a few years ago. This is not the Shakhtar that can beat any team. Douglas Costa went to Bayern Munich last season, Luiz Adriano joined Chelsea. Top scorer Alex Teixeira moved to China in the winter break. It is still a tough team, but they have less talent."

What are their assets? "Darijo Srna is their captain and the leader of the team. He is always very dangerous on set-plays. Marlos and Taison are two of their most dangerous players. I really enjoy watching Taison. But as a whole, this is a good team. Coach Lucescu has been working there since 2004 and the players know exactly what to do. They always play the same system."

"If Anderlecht play at their best, they can compete with Shakhtar Donetsk. But at the moment, this is not the case so it will be a tough match for them", Iachtchouk reacts.