Artem Chobanian
The UEFA Cup semi-finals have stirred the minds of fans all across Europe. It’s a rare case when two teams from one country oppose each other at this late stage. Because of this it will certainly be a Ukrainian – German contested final.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary in this meeting of clubs from these two countries. The Ukrainian sides Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk exited the Champions League feeling unlucky they did not make it past the group stage. Werder Bremen and Hamburg themselves recently became the most German-like clubs in the Bundesliga after Bayern Munich continued their uncertain performances. Both Bremen and Hamburg play aggressive attacking football, and their football can be hard to oppose.
Strangely both Dynamo and Shakhtar, and Bremen and Hamburg have ended up facing each other in not only the UEFA Cup semi-final, but also the semi-final of their domestic cups. Whilst Bremen defeated Hamburg in their first encounter the Ukrainian clubs had their ties postponed until mid-May. An incredible series of games between the clubs awaits in both April and May.
Werder Bremen vs. Hamburger SV 
Predicting who will come through this tie is not an easy task. Experience shows us that it is usually more difficult to face an opponent from your own country than a foreign side. Bremen may be far behind Hamburg in the Bundesliga, but this just means they will put all their efforts into the German Cup and UEFA Cup, which could be bad news for Hamburg.
Hamburg have no easy task remaining this season, though they will not complain about that. Fighting for the Bundesliga title, along with the German Cup and UEFA Cup the question may be which do they prioritise? The Bundesliga must come first, but Hamburg showed how seriously they were taking this competition when they met Manchester City in the last round. They won’t ease up now.
Players to watch:
Bremen – The major role on the pitch will surely be performed by Diego. His service will be crucial to Claudio Pizzaro, who, although not a top class forward, has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Bremen may need to call upon keeper Tim Wiese, whose confidence through a magnificent performance in the Bremen – Hamburg German Cup shootout will boost him.
Hamburg – Croatian duo Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic are players that can decide the game, although an injury cloud hangs over the former and he may not make it. Frank Rost, the experienced and ex-Bremen goalkeeper will want to make sure he new side win.
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Behind this tie there is a hidden motive that may be lost on most European fans. Dynamo and Shakhtar used to be the best Ukrainian clubs in the USSR, and since the country became independent they have continued to fight for top spot. Every year these two fight for the title as if it were a matter of life and death. Both clubs do not compromise and both invite foreign referees to take charge of games between them in the domestic league. There is little trust between these two.
In spite of their performances in the Champions League, this year both clubs reached a stage of the UEFA Cup that years ago they could only dream about. Dynamo will most probably win the Ukrainian league this year, whilst Shakhtar must fight off the challenge of Metalist Kharkiv for the second Champions League spot. Of course, Shakhtar also have a cup semi-final meeting with Dynamo to look forward to.
This tie also gives Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar’s coach, the chance to change a poor record in Europe, while Dynamo’s coach Yuri Semin is considered their best coach since Valery Lobanovsky, and his attitude to the game is very similar to Arsene Wenger. Dynamo are young, perhaps the youngest in the UEFA Cup, but they play without fear.
Players to watch:
Dynamo – Undoubtedly Alexander Aliev, Artem Milevsky and Badr El Kaddouri. The first two have played together since meeting in the youth team at the club and understand each other as if they were twins. Aliev is a fine striker of the ball at free-kicks and Milevsky has gained the nickname ‘mini-Zidane’ in Ukraine for his ability on the ball. Kaddouri has become the captain of the team and there’s no left winger in Ukraine better than Badr.
Shakhtar – Shakhtar will need Dario Srna, Fernandinho and Jadson to all be on form. Srna is the best right winger in Ukraine and can literally play anywhere. If he is in form then he can cause any defence in Europe trouble. The major power-centre in Shakhtar’s team though lies with Fernandinho and Jadson. There are many Brazilians at the club, but only these two stand above the crowd. Their ability to sniff out goals and positional ability are highly valued by Lucescu and Shakhtar’s fans believe these two will be the difference between the two sides.
