Marino Pusic wishes Shakhtar the PSV scenario from two years ago

Marino Pusic (55), who has been working since the summer as a coach at Al‑Ahli in Saudi Arabia, says: “I wish Shakhtar the PSV scenario from two years ago”, while the Ukrainian club opens the Champions League group stage against PSV in Eindhoven on Thursday evening.

Pusic’s past at Shakhtar

At that time Marino Pusic (55) was still the coach at the Ukrainian club. He led Shakhtar from October 2023 to May 2025, after Arne Slot had taken him away as an assistant coach at Feyenoord. Guus Hetterscheid, journalist at VI, noted this comment in his update.

Pusic remembers the evening of 27 November 2024, when Shakhtar played more than an hour against the Eindhoveners. “We played PSV out of my memory for more than an hour,” says the Dutch Croat.

Since the summer he has been working at Al‑Ahli in Saudi Arabia and follows with great interest the renewed confrontation between PSV and his ‘eternal love’ Shakhtar.

Arnold Bruggink, analyst, calls the duel a ‘must‑win‑match’ for the Eindhoveners. It is the fourth consecutive season that PSV has qualified for the Champions League group stage.

Bruggink has confidence in the squad, which he describes as “more than good”, and is especially curious about Ruben van Bommel. He believes that Van Bommel can compete internationally and can excel.

According to Bruggink, Shakhtar also wants to show what they can do in the Champions League, a wish that the club shares with the Dutch opponent.