Shakhtar Donetsk - Sporting Lisbon preview: the match shall be won by a team that’d do fewer mistakes than their opponents

Mircea Lucescu: “This is a very important match for both sides. Both, Shakhtar and Sporting, deserve to advance further in the competition. This is why both teams shall be doing everything possible to achieve a good result. Our main challenge is that we have lost two of our main players, Ilsinho and Luis Adriano. Now we are trying to wind the way out of this difficult situation. We are trying to find a replacement for these two players. The team should not feel their absence”.

“I hope the fair play rules will be observed in this match. There shouldn’t be any problems with it. The teams must show respect for the spectators, for their opponents and for the referees. This is very important. The teams shall be striving to win, but at the cost of the fair play idea”.

Shakhtar’s group stage rivals, Sporting, are staying at the Donbass Palace hotel and the group of Portuguese journalists at the Atlas hotel.

Paulo Bento has taken 23 players to Ukraine:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício, Tiago, Ricardo Batista
Defenders: Daniel Carriço, Anderson Polga, Pedro Silva, Tonel, Leandro Grimi, Michael Santos, Pedro Mendes, Abel
Midfielders: Adrien Silva, Marat Izmailov, Miguel Veloso, Bruno Pereirinha, Fábio Rochemback, João Moutinho, Leandro Romagnoli
Forwards: Derlei, Yannick Djaló, Hélder Postiga, Liedson, Wilson Eduardo

FC Shakhtar Press