SHAKHTAR DONETSK will look to sucker punch Celtic in the same way they did to RB Leipzig last week as manager Igor Jovicevic warned Ange Postecoglou’s men that his team don’t need to dominate the ball to win.
Donetsk shocked the Bundesliga side by winning 4-1 in Germany last week on the opening matchday in Champions League Group F despite only having 39 percent of possession, and Jovicevic is expecting a similar type of match when his men come up against Celtic.
The Croatian is convinced that his team have the pace and the firepower at their disposal, including the in-form former Celt Marian Shved, to hurt the Scottish champions on the counter.
“As far as the Leipzig game is concerned it showed what were capable of,” Jovicevic said.
“The team has the victorious mentality which is important going forwards. “It shows we are capable of winning regardless of whether we have the ball or not and you can play a very good game even when you don’t have the ball all the time.
“Tomorrow’s rival is a very good club and is in very good shape. But there are different ways to think of how to win even if one does not have the ball at all times.
“Against Leipzig we had 39 percent yet we could still win the game. It’s important to play tough during the game, so I’m convinced we’ll play as well as we did against Leipzig and we are ready for the victory, so we have this very positive outlook.” Jovicevic is expecting Celtic to face a hostile crowd despite the match being played in Legia Warsaw’s 31,800 capacity Stadion Wojska Polskiego. “We’re expecting a full house,” he said. “Full to the very brim, and we need the fans to share their impetus and energy and drive with us so we can fight during this game from the first to last minute and to win. “We are going to be playing for our fans, for all those people out there. All those people who come to the stadium who are having their own difficulties. “They have their own personal problems to deal with but we play for them and with them so we expect to have a very good game.
“If we look at our rivals they’re always the favourites - Leipzig were favourites, Celtic are favourites, Real will be favourites. “We won’t be but we will do our job modestly bit by bit and do what needs to be done. We will show what can be done and what we’re capable of doing. We will play to win.”
