Darijo Srna, former Cagliari player and current sporting director of Shakhtar Donetsk, spoke about his team’s upcoming Champions League match against Bologna. Despite the ongoing challenges faced by the Ukrainian club, Srna remains optimistic about their chances and explained what to expect in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We live day by day and hope this war that benefits no one ends soon so we can return to normal life,” Srna said, addressing Shakhtar’s current situation. The team has been forced to play their home games away from Donetsk since 2014 due to the Russian invasion of Donbass and Crimea.
Srna explained the club’s strategy of recruiting young Brazilian talent: “Just the name Shakhtar is enough. I don’t make promises or lie to families or agents. They know the political situation here but also that we play football and live anyway. Everyone knows that if they do well with us, they’ll end up at a top club.”
Despite recent struggles in the domestic league, Srna remains confident in Shakhtar’s philosophy. “Our president says he prefers to lose playing extraordinary football rather than win playing badly. Because with good football, results come.”
Regarding the upcoming match against Bologna, Srna said, “Bologna is strong, but they’re making their Champions League debut. We’ll have a 50% chance of winning. It doesn’t matter to us that Bologna hasn’t started the league well; this match is historic for them. It will be a celebration.”
Looking ahead to their match against Atalanta, Srna praised Gian Piero Gasperini: “Gasperini is a phenomenon, very strong, even more so after winning the Europa League. But let’s take it one step at a time.”
Reflecting on his time in Italy with Cagliari, Srna expressed fond memories: “Everything was positive, I miss my Sardinia so much, I had a great time there. I recently spoke with Giulini, we’re friends, and now he wants to organize a friendly with Shakhtar.”
