Maccabi will face Ukrainian Champions Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League Round of 32 knock-out phase following the draw which took play at UEFA’s Headquarters in Nyon on Monday.
Immediately after the draw, Maccabi’s coach Georgios Donis who guided the side to the lucrative stage for the second time in the club’s history, spoke of the opponents which finished third in their Champions League group ahead of Italian giants Inter Milan registering to victories against Real Madrid: “One can never say in the Europa League round of 32 that there is a comfortable draw” Donis said, “Shakhtar is an excellent side which should their good ability in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Inter (Milan). They have excellent players and Manor Solomon is only one of them. They have a team which in recent years competed in European competitions on a regular basis”.
With the first leg taking place at Bloomfield stadium on February 18th, Donis related to the fact the Ukrainian side will arrive after a two-month-long winter break, and added: “I think this could be a good thing for us that they arrive after two months with only training sessions and no matches. But we are talking about an extremely experienced side with great players. Our main objective at the moment is to improve our form as a team”.
Donis, whose side began their European qualification campaign in one-off knock-out matches in the Champions League, before being eliminated by Salzburg in the Playoffs after a two legged-tie – will play a home and away tie for the second time this season. “When playing at home first we are aware of the away goals rule and know that conceding a goal is dangerous – so we will need to be aggressive and prepare for the return leg accordingly. For Maccabi Tel Aviv this is a very important experience and it is important for us to represent Maccabi with pride/ We will do everything we possibly can to represent the club properly”.
In his closing words, Donis, paid tribute to the former Liverpool and France national team coach, Gerrad Houllier, who died earlier today: “I would like to express my condolencesfollowing the death of French coach Gerrard Houllier, who died today. He was one of the World’s leading coaches who contributed a lot to the European game”.
