Football has resumed in war-torn Ukraine for the first time in six months since Russia invaded. The Ukrainian Premier League will begin on Tuesday, with Shakhtar Donetsk set to kick-off the opener of the new season against Metalist 1925, at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex. The matches will take place only in grounds with air raid shelters. Also all matches will be played behind closed doors with anti-missile systems put on alert.
Here is the final training session of Shakhtar Donetsk players:
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Ahead of their match against Metalist, Donetsk vice-captain Taras Stepanenko said, "It is always nice to come back home. Emotions are very warm. To say the truth, I was just sitting outside for a long time when I came home. These are good feelings. We play at the Olimpiyskiy. We repeated many times that this is a historical event to play football during such time, but we understand how important it is for the country."
Speaking about the probable chances of air raid signals during the match, he said, "We discussed this, but I cannot say it for sure: if it will take more than two hours, then it will be tough. Maybe, there should be some kind of bicycles for warming-up, like we saw in championship in England. Or we will maintain out muscles toned in some other way. Frankly speaking, I don’t know. I will face such situation for the first time, like everybody else. We have fitness coach. He will figure something out. Anyway, we will maintain the condition so as to come on and continue playing."
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about the probable chances of air raid signals during the match, he said, "We discussed this, but I cannot say it for sure: if it will take more than two hours, then it will be tough. Maybe, there should be some kind of bicycles for warming-up, like we saw in championship in England. Or we will maintain out muscles toned in some other way. Frankly speaking, I don’t know. I will face such situation for the first time, like everybody else. We have fitness coach. He will figure something out. Anyway, we will maintain the condition so as to come on and continue playing."
{{/usCountry}}On playing without fans, he stated, "Let’s say, attendance has decreased since 2014 and sometimes we even got used to play without fans. Then we played without fans due to Covid. So, I think, it is better to stay at home for security and respond to air raids. We will play for fans to watch the game on TV and enjoy the football."