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UEFA Cup 2008-2009

Quarter Finals Preview: Out of the Champions League shadow

Ozren Podnar

For the second year running the extraordinary quarterfinal line-up confirms that the UEFA Cup is on the rise again and that the difference in quality between its protagonists and the clubs from the Champions League is getting narrower.

Only two of this season's eight quarterfinalists have never won a European trophy and the list features two former European champions - Hamburger SV and Olympique Marseille. The French club picked up the biggest prize in 1993 while Hamburger, besides the Champions Cup (now League) in 1983 also won the Cup Winners Cup in 1977.

Dinamo Kiev also have a distinguished record with two Cup Winners Cups (1975 and 1986) plus a European Supercup in 1987. Manchester City (1970), Werder (1992) and Paris SG (1996) also won the Cup Winners Cup, merged into the UEFA Cup exactly ten years ago.

Shakhtar, owned by ridiculously wealthy energy magnate Rinat Akhmetov, is a recent addition to the European elite and is sure to play a major role in the years to come. The only surprise at this stage of the competition came from Udinese, who ousted none other than the reigning champions Zenit of St. Petersburg. Dick Advocaat, Zenit's coach, was so impressed by Udinese's performance in the two legs that he predicted they would reach the finals.

The Premier League has hardly left a major stamp on the current UEFA Cup, unlike in the parallel Champions League, which has seen all four English club elbow their way into the last eight. The trend should not be tremendously surprising since the ambition to succeed in the Premier League itself and gain a place in the super-lucrative Champions League consumes most of the energies of the clubs like Aston Villa and Tottenham (well, not that the Spurs have any chance of achieving that this spring).

Still, Manchester City managed to reach a little bit of continental glory by defeating the tiny Danish side of Aalborg on penalties after conceding two shocking tie-equalizing goals in the last five minutes of the normal time. After a goalless extra-time, keeper Shay Given turned into a hero by saving two penalty kicks.

No doubt, City really care about winning the UEFA Cup and giving their United Arab Emirates owners something to cheer about after their heavily publicized takeover of the club last August.

The finals will be held on May 20th at Istanbul's Sükrü Saracoglu stadium, which is incidentally owned by Fenerbahce. Luckily for the Fenerbahce fans, their fiercest rivals Galatasaray were kicked out by Hamburger in the round of 16 thus averting the possibility of Gala lifting the trophy on Fener's ground (Arsenal feasting at White Hart Lane is the first comparison that comes to mind).

Hamburger, of course, will next face Manchester City, with the first leg in Germany.

Round of 32

1st 2nd

Aston Villa vs. CSKA Moscow 1-1 0-2
Zenit vs. Stuttgart 2-1 2-1
Shakhtar vs. Tottenham 2-0 1-1
Dinamo Kiev vs. Valencia 1-1 2-2
Sampdoria vs. Metalist Harkiv 0-1 0-2
Paris SG vs. Wolfsburg 2-0 3-1
Fiorentina vs. Ajax 0-1 1-1
Werder vs. Milan 1-1 2-2
Bordeaux vs. Galatasaray 0-0 3-4
Kobenhavn vs. Manchester City 2-2 1-2
Aalborg vs. Deportivo 3-0 3-1
NEC Nijmegen vs. Hamburger SV 0-3 0-1
Olympiacos vs. Saint-Etienne 1-3 1-2
Sporting Braga vs. Standard 3-0 1-1
Lech Poznan vs. Udinese 2-2 1-2
Marseille vs. Twente 0-1 1-0 6-5 (pens)

Round of 16

Werder vs. Saint-Etienne 1-0 2-2
Shakhtar vs. CSKA Moscow 2-0 0-1
Paris SG vs. Sporting Braga 0-0 1-0
Dinamo Kiev vs. Metalist Kharkiv 1-0 2-3
Manchester City vs. Aalborg 2-0 0-2 4-3 (pen)
Olympique Marseille vs. Ajax 2-1 2-2
Hamburger SV vs. Galatasaray 1-1 3-2
Udinese vs. Zenit 2-0 0-1

Quarterfinal ties

Hamburger SV vs. Manchester City
Paris SG vs. Dinamo Kiev
Shakhtar Donetskû vs. Olympique Marseille
Werder vs. Udinese

Matches to be played on April 9th and 16thSemifinal ties

Werder/Udinese vs. Hamburger/Manchester City
Paris SG/Dinamo Kiev vs. Shakhtar/Marseille

Matches to be played on April 30th and May 7th

Ozren Podnar

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