Champions League
Igor Bishan: “A difficult challenge awaits us, we believe in ourselves”
In the usual press conference before the game against AEK (19 August, 9:45 p.m.), Igor Bishan spoke about the image the game is likely to have and what he expects from his team.
AEK meets Dinamo Zagreb (19/08, 21:45, Cosmote Sport 1).
First, the Dinamo Zagreb coach stressed: “Everything is clear, a difficult challenge awaits us, a difficult task. We have to win, we want to win. We believe in ourselves, we will throw ourselves into the fight, we will do our best and we believe it will be enough to win and qualify.
For the atmosphere that awaits you in the stadium: “I played in a different stadium, I don’t know if a comparison is realistic. I know what a stadium looks like and what the atmosphere is like at games like this. It’s clear it’s going to be…hellish and extra hot, but let’s try to get out of the volcano with our hands up.”
About the team status: “We’ll see the situation. Not everyone trained after the game. In terms of game availability, we decided to see who we can play against.”
For the image that is expected to have the match: “I was surprised that I hadn’t received a question about AEK before the first game, but now it’s clear which team it is. Some who played said they were the best team at this stage of the competition. The first game had two different halves.
They came out stronger in the second half and it showed. The truth is that it is difficult to assess the balance of power, but we know that we must perform at our best to achieve our goal. The opponent is tough, experienced, aggressive and not unstable, so a high level is required of us.”
About Baturina and the situation of the injured: “He’s not in the best shape, he’s got some sort of virus, fever and he’s exercising a bit so we’ll see. I hope Misic and Spasic are ready, we’ll see that in training.”
What to expect in Athens and on the streets in general: “I expect the same thing they faced here. There were no problems, they felt safe. I expect the same in Athens.”
For the good progress of the Greek teams in Europe this year: “Our league is growing, theirs is competitive, they invest a lot of money, they have experienced players. They focus on the result because the competition is forcing them, they don’t do a lot of experiments, they get good players, they’re almost all international. This is no coincidence. They are built stadiums, the fans want quality and results.”
On Dynamo’s collapse in the second half: “That’s something we analyzed, every team is eliminated in the second half, that’s why there are changes. I’m not sure we can go in that direction, if we hadn’t fallen behind for fitness reasons they would have improved in the second half.”
If it was about fitness it would have been in the 60th or 70th minute but they put on a strong performance early in the second half. I haven’t seen a drop in previous games, except for the first game against Hajduk for the Super Cup. Fitness is not a problem.”
Source: Sport 24
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
We continue to examine the future of Donetsk shakhtar To buy tickets directly to the main stage Champions League 2026/27.
This will be possible if the place reserved for the team that wins the Champions League trophy is redistributed.
All important moments of the match are available in LIVE mode Telegram Sport.ua
Donetsk Miner They are in fourth place with a coefficient of 50.250 among the clubs competing for a possible position at the heart of the Champions League.
In the last European week, the Donetsk club added +2.625 points. This increase was achieved with a 0-0 draw with Croatian Rijeka in the 6th round of the Conference League and a sixth place in the main round final table.
Main rival Greek Olympiacos – 56,500 points remaining. The Miners can regain the 6,250-point lead if they perform well in the spring part of the European Cups.
It is interesting that Shakhtar lost the first place in the UPL (Cherkasy has the same number of points as LNZ – 35 points each), and Olympiacos lost the lead in Greece to the AEK team (36 points against 37). Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk plays for the team of the city of Piraeus.
Positions rangers (59,250), 4th in Scotland and Copenhagen (53.375), placed 5th in Denmark, looks less competitive in the rankings due to its position in the national championships. Leader only in championships Dinamo Zagreb And RB Salzburg (44,000 each) but there is no certainty that the turn will come.
Let us remind you that if the cup holder buys a ticket to the Champions League through the national championship, there will be a vacancy in the main squad in the 2026/27 Champions League. In this case, a balance will arise again and if Shakhtar wins the UPL and is ahead of Olympiacos in the UEFA club rankings (or the Greek club does not become the champion of Greece), it can get a direct ticket to the base of the Champions League.
If the Piraeus team is higher in the rankings and takes advantage of the available space, the Donetsk club will start from the 4th quarter of the Champions League, not the 2nd quarter, in case they win in the UPL.
Candidates for direct tickets to the Champions League 2026/27 main stage
(In case the quota reserved for the Champions League champion becomes vacant)
UEFA Club Rankings 2026
infographics
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
Champions League
Pedri commented on the new format of the Champions League: An unexpected look from a football player
Barcelona midfielder pedri He answered the question about his attitude towards the new format of the Champions League with the general group stage.
“Do I like the new format of the Champions League? I can’t say with 100% certainty which format I like more: this one or the previous one?”
If I have to choose, I will do something new: There were more matches between strong teams in the first stage,” said Pedri, as quoted by Esquire.
Before the 2024/2025 season, the group stage of the Champions League consisted of eight groups of four clubs each. All participants played six matches in their respective foursomes, home and away, against each of the three opponents.
From the 2024/2025 season, a new Champions League format comes into force with a common group stage of 36 clubs; each participant plays eight matches, four away and four at home; The opponents are determined by lot.”
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
Earlier, English Manchester City played a match against French Monaco in a new round of the UEFA Champions League.
After the match, the head coach of the “Locals” Pep Guardiola commented on the performance of the powerful team.
“In football you can always perform better – and this is the result. Our game today was very good in many ways. And step by step we will improve our results.”
Ale mi gave many speeches today in the right way. We created many scoring opportunities and found Phil Foden active in the first half. Most Gravians played at a fairly high level.
Previously, they did not let their opponents create anything, but created the chances themselves. We adapted very well to the superniks and played very well. This is my opinion.
If you get a good match on the right side, of course you have to… Today we got a great ball, that’s all I can tell you right away.
Holland? It’s really good. He plays to score goals. He struggled with three centre-backs and two supporting defenders in front of him, and it wasn’t easy for his partners to know that. Ale, we can work hard to score goals.
Tse bula spravdi garna gra. We created a lot of chances, but unfortunately in the end we didn’t defend perfectly against a free kick, which would have been quite a few, and we conceded a penalty, which was awarded when the ball hit the first one… well, that’s it.
Referee? “I have nothing to say to the Spanish referees,” said the Spanish footballer.
In the coming round, English Manchester City will visit Spanish Villarreal.
Source: Football UA
Alberta Robinson is a sports journalist and author, who is currently associated with the publication Sportish, where she writes about sports related news and events. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, Robinson brings in-depth analysis and insightful commentary to her writing.
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