Who will win in Istanbul?

The UEFA Cup final is edging ever closer and Werder Bremen and FC Shakhtar Donetsk are both bidding to win the support of the neutrals at the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium. It seems to boil down to two individuals: Bremen playmaker Mesut Özil, the son of Turkish migrants, and Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu, a man whose CV includes two Süper Lig titles.

Successful spell
Lucescu is well-respected in these parts. Not back in the country for more than a few hours and he was already being asked to impart his opinions about Sunday's meeting between his former employers, Galatasaray AŞ and Beşiktaş JK, a match that could determine the Turkish champions. The Romanian has been around long enough to know which questions to tackle and which to neatly side-step, shrewdly taking the latter option here, then turning to flattery. "I return with joy; this is a city I love, it is interesting and beautiful," he said. "Turkish fans are incredible supporters who understand the game well so Istanbul deserves to be the UEFA Cup final venue."

Özil hope
While plenty of fans are making the trips from Germany and Ukraine to the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium, the courting of neutral support could play a big part and to that end Bremen believe they have a joker in their pack. Özil may have been born in Gelsenkirchen and he may have opted for the German national team despite being courted by Turkey, for whom he is eligible courtesy of his Zonguldak-born parents, but he is full of pride in his heritage. "I have lots of friends and family in Turkey who are going to the final," said the 20-year-old. "If I play I will be the only Turkish player on the pitch and I have no doubt that the Turkish fans will get behind me for what should be an entertaining game."

Nostalgia
Indeed it should. On one side Thomas Schaaf will be looking to mark his tenth anniversary in charge by leading the German side to their second European trophy following the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success in 1992 in which he played. On the other Shakhtar hope to become the first Ukrainian side since the country's 1991 independence to claim a European title, an ambition that seems to have united a nation. "Enemies of Shakhtar from Dynamo Kyiv and Metalist Kharkiv to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk don't support Shakhtar whatever," said Artem Frankov, editor of Ukrainian magazine Football. "They say: 'We didn't support them in the quarter-finals, we didn't support them in the semi-finals, but for the final … it's a chance for Ukraine. It's more than Shakhtar, so we are supporting Ukraine.'"

Tight contest
That means another vote for Shakhtar among the 80 million people expected to watch it live on television in 63 countries. Who will you be supporting? And who do you think will come out on top and why? Let us know your thoughts by clicking below.