In an interview with Football. ua goalkeeper of Shakhtar and the national team of Ukraine Andriy Pyatov told what awaits from the main match of the year against Manchester City.

- In the last game of the Champions League, you just had to avoid defeat, and the team would go to the round of the playoffs. Why did not you succeed in ensuring the result?.

- It's football, it's simple: we did not realize our chances, and they scored in the second half. Yes, the goal was very good, but we could do more. This is what happens in football: the team that wins the first and subsequent goals wins. We opened up after that and had a few chances, but could not score. As a result, we missed after a counterattack. I am sure that if we scored first, we would not give in and finish, at least, with a tie.

- Was the quality of your game better than the score on the scoreboard?.

- Up to the goal - I believe that yes. Before Napoli scored, we definitely deserved at least one goal. And we deserved not to lose. I think that anyone who understands football knows that we are not worse than them. Yes, maybe we played badly for about five minutes in the second half, lost control of the game, and the opponent took advantage of this.

- After two fights with Napoli, what can you say about them? How strong are they?.

- This is a top-level team. Everyone says like that. The coach has been working with them for a long time, striving for this result. Everybody respects this team, but you can play with them. We have proved this, and, I hope, will continue in the same spirit.

"What did Fonseca say after the match in Naples?" How did you support the team?.

- Nothing special. He thanked us for the spirit. Each of us did our best, we tried to play football before the final whistle. He said that the score does not reflect the game, but it's football, and sometimes such illogical things happen. Now we need to draw the right conclusions and try to change the course of events in our favor.

- Now you have a new goal: at least, to avoid defeat from Manchester City. Is it possible, given their shape this season?.

- Why not? We will play in front of our fans. We can do this, and I think that we will not play for a draw. We will only play to win. We can earn extra points - this is the main thing. Let's see how it will be.

- What is the mood in the camp before such an important game?.

- Good. We still have several matches in the national championship. Our task is to win in these meetings in order to improve our tournament position. I think that if we win in them, then we will approach the match with ManCiti in good spirits.

- How difficult is it to defend against the sharp attacks of Manchester City?.

"Better ask our defenders about this!" In fact, we analyzed their game, and in the first meeting we did not give them enough space. If we play compactly, everything will be fine.

- Who poses the greatest danger in Manchester City?.

- The whole line of attack, I would not single out anyone specifically. The whole team is good: starting with the goalkeeper, brilliantly playing the legs, and ending with the attackers, who are also excellent at their positions. We need to focus on every player.

- How important is it for Shakhtar to go to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League?.

- Perhaps you understand that we set the highest goals for ourselves. If we do not strive for them, then we will not be the Miner to Go to the 1/8 finals - the only one for us, the desired outcome of the meeting with Manchester City.

- What atmosphere do you expect at this match in Kharkov?.

- Judging by the number of calls with requests for tickets, I think that there will be a full house at the stadium.

- How important is good support in these matches?.

- Kharkov showed that the city missed football; they know how to support the team. Finally, he is closer to Donetsk, and many people from there moved to Kharkiv. Now we have a huge number of fans.

- Speaking about the season as a whole, what are the goals of Shakhtar?.

- The highest. We never compete for second place or lower, we only have the highest goals.

Exit the group, go farther in the cup in the next season and, of course, stay in the first place in the championship, increasing the gap from the nearest pursuers.

Match Shakhtar - Manchester City will be held in Kharkiv on December 6. The remaining tickets for the game are still on sale at the box office.

Do you want to learn the main football news first? Subscribe to our channel in Telegram! You can also follow our website in Viber and Twitter.