Oct 22,2024
Shakhtar Donetsk manager Marino Pushych says his team have not "come to complain" after travelling for 13 hours for tonight's Champions League meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Ukrainian champions are based in Kyiv but must journey across the country and into Poland in order to take international flights owing to the on-going war with Russia.
The team left the capital on Friday, stopping for a day to train in Lviv in the west of the country before setting off around midday on Sunday for Rzeszow, from where they flew to London.
"This is a fact," said Pushych. "We face these, I wouldn’t call them problems. In general, it is unbelievable how we have to travel for these away matches.
"In fact, I have to say that we play all matches away from home, let’s start with that, unfortunately. Yes, we drove for 13 hours, it is a very difficult move that takes a lot of time and energy.
"At the same time, we are a very motivated team and we are mentally ready. So, despite all these circumstances, we did not come here to complain. This is simply a fact that, unfortunately, we constantly face."
Shakhtar have been unable to play home European fixtures in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
This season they will play their home Champions League games at Schalke’s ground in Gelsenkirchen in Germany.
They were beaten 3-0 by Atalanta there in their last outing before the international break three weeks ago.
"I think we are the only club in the world at this level to be in such conditions," said Pushych. "It doesn’t make it any easier for us, but like I said, we’re a team that came here to compete, not to complain. And we play football."
Shakhtar have won six of the last seven Ukrainian league titles but are currently fourth, having lost two of their first nine games of the season.
The club have twice beaten Tuesday’s opponents Arsenal in previous seasons, most recently in 2010, a 2-1 home triumph in the Champions League group stage.
Pushych said the Gunners' 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday – their first away league loss of 2024 – showed Mikel Arteta’s side can still be vulnerable over the course of a season.
"If you are competing for the top spot for three or four years in what I think is the best league in the world, as Arsenal do, then your club is one of the best in the world," he said.
"But with each new opponent, with each successive team, you can lose, even if you are as strong as Arsenal. And the longer this series lasts, the more chances there are to lose. It is logical.
"Of course, this does not tell the whole story, because a game is a game. They received an early red card and playing in the minority for 60-65 minutes is quite difficult."
