"Shakhtar has revealed its list of sparring partners for the training camp in Turkey."

On Saturday, January 4, "Shakhtar" began their winter training camp in Turkey. In Belek, Marino Pusica's team will be intensively preparing for the concluding matches of the Champions League – on January 22, the "miners" will face French team "Brest," and a week later, on January 29, they will meet Borussia Dortmund.

As part of their preparation for these crucial matches, the Donetsk team will play three friendly games, reports the official website of the "orange and black". Shakhtar's opponents will be Dinamo Zagreb, Bulgarian CSKA, and Ludogorets. Interestingly, the latter is currently coached by former Shakhtar coach Igor Jovicevic. All of the Donetsk team's friendlies will be broadcast live on the club’s YouTube channel.

It was noted that Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsi has returned to the "miners" camp after spending time on loan at Cincinnati in MLS since April 2024. Meanwhile, the Croatian midfielder Bartol Franjić has left the team early; he was on loan from German club Wolfsburg to Dinamo Zagreb.

Shakhtar's friendly match schedule during the training camp in Turkey:

January 9 – “Shakhtar” – “Dinamo” Zagreb (Croatia) – 16:00

January 15 – “Shakhtar” – “Ludogorets” (Bulgaria)

January 15 – “Shakhtar” – CSKA (Sofia)

Recall that Shakhtar finished the winter break in third place in the UPL standings, trailing the leader – "Dynamo" – by ten points (the "miners" have one game in hand). In the Champions League, the Donetsk team is currently in 27th place with 4 points and still has a chance to advance to the tournament's knockout stage.