Shakhtar Donetsk vs Werder Bremen
FreeTonight sees the first of the two European finals being played, which is the UEFA Cup Final in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s the last UEFA Cup Final because Michele Platini is a wanker and has renamed it for next year as the Europa League. Apparently sides will want to win it more if it’s called that. Ingenius or what?
No.
Returning to rational thought momentarily, this final should be an absolute cracker. Shakhtar Donetsk have had a disappointing domestic campaign and have really thrust themselves into this competition, beating off a host of big names like Olympique de Marseille and CSKA Moscow for the right to be here. Werder Bremen have had a poor domestic campaign by their standards and like their opponents tonight, they too have thrust themselves entirely into the UEFA Cup as recompense for their poor season.
The bookmakers are slightly favouring Werder Bremen, which I find a little amusing, as their performances are haphazard and unpredictable at the best of times. I suspect the bookmakers are deciding those odds based upon the league strength of either side but even that isn’t too revealing. The German league boasts bigger names with bigger histories but the Ukrainian league is arising rather rapidly. Shakhtar Donetsk are not the pushovers they once would have been in this fixture. I mean, look at it another way – three Ukrainian sides were in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, something I think hasn’t been achieved before. Compare that to the two sides from Germany that were in the competiton at this point. Interestingly enough, the only side to have dumped a Ukrainian side out of the competition this year has been another Ukrainian side. Dynamo Kiev beat Metalist Kharkiv and then Shakhtar Donetsk beat Dynamo Kiev. Ironically, Werder Bremen had to beat fellow Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV to attain their place in the UEFA Cup Final also.
Looking at the game on a man-to-man basis, there’s not a great deal of difference between these two sides. Shakhtar Donetsk are more organised and efficient with that touch of class that only South Americans can bring to the game of football. Werder Bremen have experienced footballers who have been in this kind of situation before. However, for me, the real clash tonight has been removed. I was very much looking forward to see which Brazilian playmaker shone in the spotlight but Werder Bremen maestro Diego is suspended for the final, whereas Shakhtar Donetsk’s Jadson has the chance to show his quality on one of the biggest stages in club football. The removal of Diego makes the decision to back a winner in this game that bit easier, because he is literally the heart and soul of his team. By not playing, he turns Werder Bremen into a very average side at best. Jadson plays an almost identical role for Shakhtar Donetsk by pulling all the strings on the pitch as well as scoring key goals. For me, this is the key difference between the two sides that I suspect will see Shakhtar Donetsk lift the UEFA Cup trophy, making them first Ukrainian side to ever lift the trophy, as well as the first Ukrainian side to appear in a UEFA Cup Final. Interestingly, if they do win the trophy, it makes them the third side from Eastern Europe to have won the trophy over the last five years, which shows the rapid rate that Eastern European football is growing at. Anyway, I can see Jadson lighting up the stage tonight and giving his side the goal that sees them win the final 1-0, which will no doubt see him earn a big money move to Manchester City in summer – you heard it here first!!
Wednesday’s Picks
My tips:
There’s some good games to bet on today but aside from the UEFA Cup, there’s only one bet I really like the look of. I fancy a treble containing Drava Ptuj, Gorica, and Malmo – the odds should be good for this bet too!
For the complete picks listing, see below!
UEFA Cup:
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Werder Bremen (7) 1-0, Jadson to score
Asian Champions League:
Gamba Osaka vs FC Seoul (9) 3-0
Ulsan Horang I vs Newcastle Jets (6) 1-1
Beijing Guoan vs Nagoya Grampus (7) 1-2
Sriwijaya FC Palembang vs Shandong Luneng (9) 1-3
Persepolis vs Al Shabab Riyadh (5) 1-1
Al Gharrafa Club Doha vs Al Sharjah (7) 2-0
Al Ahli Dubai vs Saba (6) 0-0
Al Hilal Riyadh vs Pakhtakor Tashkent (7) 2-1
Finnish Ykkonen:
Klubi 04 Helsinki vs TPV Tampere (7)
Greek Super League:
Larissa vs Panathinaikos (7) 1-2
AEK Athens vs PAOK (8) 2-0
Norwegian Adeccoligaen:
Skeid Oslo vs Hamarkamaratene (6)
Singaporean S-League:
Super Reds vs Gombak United (6) 2-1
Slovenian Prva Liga:
Drava Ptuj vs Primorje Ajdovscina (8) 3-1
Rudar Velenje vs Domzale (7) 1-2
Koper vs Nafta Lendava (6) 1-1
Interblock Ljubljana vs Celje (5) 1-1
Gorica vs Maribor (7) 2-1
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Malmo vs Orebro (7) 1-0
Brommapojkarna vs Hammarby (6) 1-1
Halmstads vs Gefle (7) 2-1
Swedish Superettan:
Angelholms vs Sirius Uppsala (6)
GIF Sundsvall vs Vasalunds (7)
Enjoy your free betting tips!