BATE await fateful Levski date

With the scalp of RSC Anderlecht under their belts, FC BATE Borisov will attempt to prove that "BATE means success" when they face PFC Levski Sofia on Wednesday.

'Nothing extraordinary'
Founded in 1996, BATE have come a long way in a very short time. They are now one of the strongest clubs in Belarus and increasingly a force to be reckoned with in Europe. Their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round success against Anderlecht came as a shock to many, but not to coach Viktar Goncharenko who had insisted "it would be nothing extraordinary if we beat Anderlecht". BATE are certainly not a side lacking in confidence. Their team anthem includes the telling line: "BATE means success, BATE are our champions." In a more literal sense, BATE means Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electrical Equipment Plant, and the club who first made it to the Belarussian top flight in 1998 have been firing on all cylinders in recent years, powered by local talent.

Local success
Since winning the first of four league titles in 1999, BATE have only once finished outside the top three, and have staked their reputation upon their ability to produce players. Chief executive Anatoli Kapsky has stressed the importance of homegrown prospects, and the progress of Borisov old boys such as FC Barcelona recruit Aleksandr Hleb and Parma FC forward Vitali Kutuzov has justified those efforts. The focus on the youth system began with coach Yuri Puntus, who led the side from its inception in tandem with his job as Belarus Under-21 coach. Tellingly, the Belarus team Puntus took to the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Germany featured nine BATE players, and while the coach left the club in 2004, his successors have continued to focus on the academy.

Young coach
Igor Kriushenko became head coach after four years at the helm of the reserves. He helped a number of youngsters make the step up into the first team, as well as overseeing BATE's first foreign signings – young Russians like Vitali Kazantsev, Anton Sakharov, Anri Khagush and Vladimir Rzhevskiy. Kriushenko was then replaced by his assistant Goncharenko, then just 30 years old, in 2007. A player for BATE from 1998 to 2002, injury ended Goncharenko's career early, yet he has shown immense maturity as a coach. His man-management, in particular, is allowing the side to punch well above the weight an estimated annual budget of just over €1.5m should permit. Reaching the UEFA Champions League group stage would nonetheless represent a titanic achievement.

Meteoric rise
There is hope that BATE's time may have come. Past European campaigns have pitted them against the likes of AC Milan, FC Steaua Bucureşti and Villarreal CF, with a losing outcome. Victory against Anderlecht has broken that trend, and Hancharenka believes they will also take some beating as they tackle Levski over two legs for a place at the top table of European football.