Shakhtar, Werder in last UEFA final

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

Every good story deserves a good ending. So the prospects of a thrilling UEFA Cup final might be taken for granted tonight.

German side Werder Bremen meets Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, where the UEFA Cup final will be played for the last time before it becomes the Europa League next season.

After replacing the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1971, the UEFA Cup became one of the top international European competitions at club level. It was the third-tier cup after the Champion Clubs Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup, and the latter’s abolishment in 1999 helped it advance to second place.

Tonight, a 38-year tradition ends and Istanbul will be a worthy place for such a finale, as Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu agrees, the Associated Press reported.

"I have been here for four years, and it brought me nothing but happiness, and I am happy to be here again. I will be even happier if we are the winning side," said the Romanian, who had two-year spells as coach for Galatasaray and Beşiktaş from 2000 to 2004. "I had a great relationship with the fans, they always support their teams very well. Istanbul deserves to be a place for such a final."

UEFA chief, Michel Platini, also said that the city was the best place for hosting such an important event.

"I can’t think of anywhere more exciting and energetic than Istanbul for this year’s UEFA Cup final," the chief of European football’s governing body wrote on a column in the Istanbul 2009 book prepared for the match. "Istanbul is a fascinating city. I hope you all have the chance to relish being in Istanbul after the game."

Luce is no stranger to the Turkish football scene, just like many of his players. "We played two games against Fenerbahçe last season, as if we could have predicted this here," Lucescu said. "Our players will not feel this is too strange for them. They know this stadium well already."

The return of Lucescu
The Romanian coach led Galatasaray, which had just become the only Turkish club to win a European title with the 2000 UEFA Cup, to the European Super Cup and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. He also hoisted the 2002 Turkish league title before moving across town and doing the same with Beşiktaş the following season. But if Bremen is looking for omens of its own, it may want to consider that Lucescu won just one of his five games at tonight’s venue during his four years in Istanbul.

For Shakhtar captain Darjo Srna, Istanbul has some meaning as well. The right winger is desperate to play a key role in Istanbul after Turkey eliminated his Croatia team from last year's European Championship.

"I think the whole of Turkey owes me something," Srna said.

Werder Bremen looks the favorite going into the game, but will be without key players for the match, with playmaker Diego and striker Hugo Almeida both suspended and German international defender Per Mertesacker injured.

"We will badly miss Diego, but we have a big enough team to win the cup," said coach Thomas Schaaf, Agence France-Presse reported.

"It would be unbelievably beautiful and important for us to win the UEFA Cup," added Diego's Brazilian compatriot Naldo, who is also in doubt for the game. Every player on our team can write their names in the history books of this club. And we want to leave our mark."

No one knows whose night it will be, but it will definitely be worth watching, according to Platini.

"Both teams are playing in the final for the first time, they both play impressive attacking football and they will want to win this famous cup," stated the legend. "I hope this match will remind people why this competition is so special, leaving memories that will live up to classic UEFA Cup finals."

The ultimate UEFA Cup final in Istanbul kicks off at 9:45 p.m.