Dinamo needs goals at Shakhtar to progress to UEFA Cup final
Published: 07 May, 2009, 12:54
TAGS: Sport, Europa League, Football
Russia's former national coach Yury Semin faces a tough task tonight. His Dinamo Kiev side travel to Donetsk to face Shakhtar in the second leg of their UEFA cup semi-final.
After the first leg finished 1-1 in the Ukrainian capital, Dynamo know they have to score in order to progress.
Their recent record isn’t great against Shakhtar, whom they've failed to beat in their last four meetings.
Still, Semin believes his side have a good chance of making the final.
"We'll have a very, very hard game tomorrow,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday. “This is very important for us. It is a semi-final, and both our teams are worthy of taking part in a UEFA Cup final. And winning it, of course."
And Donetsk coach, Mircha Lucescu, says there’s no favorite in the all-Ukrainian semi-final.
"Our chances of winning are still the same. I do not think that our goal in Kiev will decide the outcome of this game. We should go into the match as if it is a one-off, and play like we have no goals before,"
In the other semi, Hamburg take a 1-0 lead into their second leg at home to Werder Bremen. They need a draw to reach the final in Istanbul on May 20.
Two games without a Bundesliga win have made Hamburg outsiders for the German league title, which means the UEFA Cup represents their best chance of a trophy in what is coach Martin Jol's debut season at the club.
"I think we have a fifty-fifty chance. We are in a good position, but if Bremen scores just one goal, I think we have to score once or twice ourselves, to reach the final," said Hamburg coach Martin Jol.
Meanwhile, Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf says his men will do everything to win a game that he called “very special”.
"We have the chance to reach the final of an international competition. That is a great thing. If you have a chance like this, you want to give everything to win this game," said Schaaf.
07.05.2009, 10:49
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