Shakhtar Donetsk before game against Real Madrid

IGor Jovicevic, football coach of Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, has a pose ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game against real Madrid (9 p.m. in FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and at DAZN) pointed out the mental strain on his players from the Russian war of aggression. Many family members of the players are in Ukraine, “and that affects us, but it won’t destroy our morale,” said Jovicevic after Moscow’s rocket attacks against numerous Ukrainian cities.

The club did not deal with a game cancellation, the 48-year-old said at the press conference before the game. “We have to go out there and show that we are fighting for each other and representing Ukrainians.” Jovicevic, who hails from the Croatian capital Zagreb, said he too feels Ukrainian and called for an end to the war.

In Group F, Shakhtar is in second place ahead of the game with four points after three games, behind opponents Real (9 points). The game will take place in the Polish capital of Warsaw, while the club from eastern Ukraine will play the home games in the Ukrainian league in Lviv in western Ukraine.

You have to travel a lot for the European Cup games, “we’re always on the road,” said Jovicevic. “Our preparation is completely different from the usual processes of other teams in the Champions League.” In addition to the international away game at Real Madrid, which Shakhtar lost 1-2 (1-2) last week, the Ukrainian club also travels to Celtic Glasgow. On the first day of play, Donetsk surprisingly won 4-1 at Rasenballsport Leipzig.

RB has out of the first three games in the Champions League only got three points. This puts Leipzig one point behind Donetsk in the table. Striker André Silva is expecting a tough game at Glasgow’s Celtic Park. “It won’t be easy because of the atmosphere and the fans. We have to be vigilant from the first minute.”