Ukraine storm heading west

By Igor Linnyk
 
With FC Dynamo Kyiv in Group B and FC Shakhtar Donetsk gracing Group F, Ukraine have two teams in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for the second time.

Last time
Back in the 2000/01 season, both Dynamo and Shakhtar managed to reach the group stage of the competition, but could not sustain their successes. Dynamo finished bottom of a group containing RSC Anderlecht, Manchester United FC and PSV Eindhoven, while Shakhtar were third behind S.S. Lazio and Arsenal FC.

Shakhtar power
This season, Dynamo have been paired with Real Madrid CF, AS Roma and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Group B while Shakhtar have drawn AC Milan, FC Barcelona and Celtic FC in Group F. Oddly, considering how tough their draw is, it is the Donetsk side who look to have the best chance of qualifying.

Lucescu revolution
A lot has changed at the club since their last Champions League campaign, and since the arrival of Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu in May, the club have been in buoyant form. Lucescu's first act as coach was to lead Shakhtar to a 2-0 Ukrainian Cup final win against FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Fearsome results
However, it has been with their performances in the new Ukrainian season that Shakhtar have left their mark. Six games into the season, they have yet to drop a point, seeing off Dynamo and Dnipro as well as other powerful domestic opponents like FC Chornomorets Odesa and local rivals FC Metalurh Donetsk.
 
Brugge victory
In the Champions League, Lucescu's side made short work of Armenian champions FC Pyunik before earning a much more impressive aggregate win against Club Brugge KV, with an emphatic 4-1 win in Ukraine being followed by a 2-2 draw in Belgium in which the Donetsk side missed a penalty.

Faltering Dynamo
Dynamo's progress has been less impressive. A Ukrainian Super Cup win against Shakhtar on penalty kicks proved to be a false dawn as coach Olexiy Mykhaylichenko led the club to some disappointing league results and a 2-1 home defeat in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie against Trabzonspor before being dismissed.

Sabo in command
Legendary Soviet Union midfield player Jozsef Sabo stepped in to replace Mykhaylichenko, Having previously led Dynamo in the early 1990s, and earned a 2-0 win in the return leg against Trabzonspor to put his side into the group stages for the eighth consecutive season.

European fortunes
Now Dynamo fans are looking to Sabo to improve their fortunes in Europe, where the Kiev club have not advanced past the opening group stage in the last four seasons. Sabo himself, however, is making no promises, continuing the famous Dynamo tradition of letting results speak for themselves.
 
Attacking football
Meanwhile, Shakhtar's results are speaking volumes for an exciting attacking side. Lucescu's three-pronged attack of Andriy Vorobei, Julius Aghahowa and Ciprian Marica are aided playmaker Zvonimir Vukic and wing-backs Dario Srna and Razvan Rat.

Defensive nous
However, while Shakhtar may eclipse Dynamo in terms of attacking verve, they lose out when it comes to experience. Latvian international Maris Verpakovskis has been in great goalscoring form for the blue-and-whites, but it is their lockdown defending that seems their best hope of earning points in Europe.

Two faces
Thus with a confident, dynamic Shakhtar and a battle-scarred but wily Dynamo, two faces of Ukrainian football will be on show in the group stages. The two sides had little success last time they were in the competition together, but the Champions League could yet feel the force of a Ukrainian renaissance.