Arda Turan has made sweeping changes to his "Shakhtar" Donetsk lineup for the second leg of their UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie against Finnish side "Ilves", despite holding a commanding 6-0 advantage from the first match.
Joona Rantanen, the Finnish coach, has also adjusted his starting eleven, introducing Miettinen and Kumpu to his three-man central defense, while deploying Aspergen and Ulundu in midfield with Kanga and Hytonen leading the attack.
Interestingly, Turan has completely reshuffled his defensive unit, bringing in Vinisius, Gram, and Azarovi, while Pedrinho da Silva and Ocheretko will operate in central midfield. The attacking trio consists of entirely new faces with Eginaldu, Traore, and Neverton forming what appears to be a fresh offensive triangle.
"We respect our opponents regardless of the first leg result," a statement that likely reflects Turan's mindset given his significant lineup rotation despite the comfortable advantage.
The comprehensive nature of "Shakhtar's" first-leg victory has clearly given the Ukrainian side room to experiment. Worth noting that goalkeeper Riznyk remains one of the few constants in the lineup, suggesting Turan still wants some stability between the posts.
Full lineups for the match:
Ilves: Virtanen — Mäenpää, Miettinen, Kumpu — Vallius, Aspergen, Popovich, Ulundu — Kanga, Hytonen, Stopin.
Substitutes: Krkalic, Väyrynen, Rale, Väisänen, Veteli, Riski, Cederbäck, Jukkola, Tiitinen, Moisio, Akinyemi.
Shakhtar: Riznyk — Vinisius, Bondar, Gram, Azarovi — Pedrinho da Silva, Bondarenko, Ocheretko — Eginaldu, Traore, Neverton.
Can "Ilves" somehow overcome this massive deficit, or is this second leg merely a formality? The lineup changes certainly suggest both coaches are looking beyond just this particular match.
