Shakhtar Donetsk tore apart FC Basel 4-1 in their quarter-final to book a spot in the final four, only days after thrashing Wolfsburg 3-0, and will now face Inter Milan in Dusseldorf.
Shakhtar eased to the Ukrainian Premier League title earlier this year, winning by 23 points from nearest rival Dynamo Kiev, while they also topped the most goals list and least goals against too.
The Brazilian talent within Shakhtar’s ranks sets them apart, led by Taison and the naturalised Junior Moraes, who has scored three goals in their past two games.
Inter have been impressive recently too, finishing Serie A runners-up with a final day win over Atalanta and reaching the Europa semis after victories over Leverkusen and Getafe.
“The word fear is not in my vocabulary, nor should it be a factor for any of my players,” Conte said, when asked about fearing Shakhtar.
“We have a great deal of respect for Shakhtar Donetsk because they’ve got some quality players.
“We’ve been preparing really well, and obviously this is the strongest side we’ve faced so far in the Europa League.
“We’ll approach the match with the utmost respect, but also with the desire to show that we are in the semi-final for a reason and that we deserve a place in the final.”
Inter will be without Alexis Sanchez due to a hamstring strain having only recently returned to the side after injury but Conte played down the significance of his absence, given they possess the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen.
Lets not forget that Alexis was out injured for most of the season,” Conte said.
“Weve only just become aware of how dangerous he can be, as after all, he wasnt available for three-quarters of our matches. Its a real pity that he wont be playing, and his absence deprives us of one of our most potent threats, whether hes starting, or coming on as a substitute.
“Weve got to ask for a huge effort from our two remaining attacking options, and the alternative to Sanchez, Sebastiano Esposito. Weve tried things out in case of an emergency. But Alexis will be sorely missed.”