Antonio Conte tips his hat to Europa League semi-final opponents Shakhtar Donetsk, but ‘we will face them with respect and show we’re here for a reason.’

It kicks off on Monday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT) in Dusseldorf, the winner going on to meet Manchester United or Sevilla in the Final.

“Shakhtar are a team full of talent and have shown over the years that they can change coach or players, but they always rebuild and maintain a very high level,” said the coach in his press conference.

Antonio Conte tips his hat to Europa League semi-final opponents Shakhtar Donetsk, but ‘we will face them with respect and show we’re here for a reason.’

It kicks off on Monday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT) in Dusseldorf, the winner going on to meet Manchester United or Sevilla in the Final.

“Shakhtar are a team full of talent and have shown over the years that they can change coach or players, but they always rebuild and maintain a very high level,” said the coach in his press conference.

“I remember when I was at Juventus against Shakhtar in the Champions League and together we knocked out Chelsea, who were the holders. At the time, they had players who weren’t well known yet, but they were the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Darijo Srna, Pyatov, etc.

“I tip my hat to them and their directors for being able to constantly find these talents. I think Shakhtar play to their own strengths, so alternating periods of pressure with sitting back more and trying to hit us on the counter. They have their own very clear identity.

“Luis Castro deserves credit for convincing so many talented players to work hard for the team. It’s not easy to get such creative midfielders and forwards to also work so hard and remain concentrated in defence, so that took work.”

Conte was asked if he feared Bayer Leverkusen more than Shakhtar, but did not appreciate the wording of the question.

“The word fear is not part of my vocabulary and it mustn’t be for the players either. We have great respect for Shakhtar, they are the strongest team we’ve faced yet in the Europa League, so we will face them with respect, but also showing we are in the semi-final for a reason and will fight tooth and nail to reach the Final.”

Inter are the only remaining Italian representative in Europe, although it has been a tough campaign for the Spanish and English sides too.

“We are a team who tried to go down our own path without looking at anyone else. We honoured all the competitions we participated in, so the objective is still to keep improving ourselves.”

Conte has famously struggled to make an impact in European club competition at Juventus, Chelsea or Inter, so would victory in the Europa League be special?

“I’d be happy for the club if Inter were to win the trophy. I don’t think about my own personal success, just the club that hires me to do the job.”

Speaking of which, President Steven Zhang arrived in Germany today along with the main directors, all attending the training sessions.

“It is always pleasing for me and the players to have the President by our side.”

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