Debutants eye final glory

Highly charged
Neither of the two have ever appeared in a final before, and both teams have made it clear that a win would be a massive achievement. Gomel and Borisov won their last league matches to boost their confidence ahead of the event and neither side will be willing to give a centimetre in Vitebsk.

European place
Both go into what is the game of the season for both sides with no injury worries. Aside from silverware, the victory will mean a European place for the winners. Borisov, who played in last season's UEFA Cup, finished only third in the league and are expected to withdraw from the UEFA Intertoto Cup if they win. Gomel finished sixth, and victory is even more critical to their European hopes.

Coaches cautious
The coaches were cautious in their pre-match comments, but made it clear they will not accept defeat. "BATE are a strong side but we made it to the finals by not succumbing to anybody," said Gomel's Sergey Podpaly. "We will count on our pace," said Yuri Puntus, who is in charge of Borisov. "If we do not use this advantage it will get very tough for us as Gomel are a very balanced and well-organised team."

Venue moved
For the first time in Belarus, the final will be played outside the capital city of Minsk. "The reason for that is to rise the profile of football in the regions," explained Belarussian Football Federation president Grigory Fedorov. "I am sure the stadium will be sold out."