Arda Turan, the head coach of the Ukrainian club Shakhtar, and his team have gained an important psychological advantage before two consecutive derbies.
Idman.Biz reports that the Donetsk representative defeated Kudrivka 4-0 in the 10th round of the Ukrainian Premier League, raising their score to 21 and returning to the top of the tournament table.
After the game, head coach Arda Turan spoke about the victory:
"I was satisfied with some moments, but not completely with others. We were even more satisfied with our performance in the match against Polissya, which we drew."
Answering the journalist's question, "Is there a special motivation for such games?", Turan recalled the 2:2 draw between the Turkish national team and Malta in 2008:
"In football, everything is about respect. Every opponent must be analyzed, every game must be taken with the same seriousness. When I was young, we unexpectedly lost points in a game against Malta. It is necessary to maintain concentration until the end. This principle also applies to the match against Dynamo Kyiv."
The Turkish specialist also commented on the fact that the changes he made in the squad were considered as a "rotation":
"If Messi, Iniesta, Xavi are on the bench and Arda is playing, you can call it a rotation. The situation is different with us. The team mainly consists of young players and we are working on their development."
It should be noted that Shakhtar will face Dynamo Kyiv twice in a row:
• October 29 - Ukrainian Cup, 1/8 final
• November 2 - Ukrainian Premier League
Currently, Dynamo Kyiv is following Shakhtar with 20 points, one point behind.