Futsal forces come together

Sometimes two teams seem destined for a final, the outstanding clubs in a competition from an early stage. That could be argued for Arsenal FC and FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. It definitely is the case for Boomerang Interviú and MFK Dinamo Moskva, who compete in the first leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup final on Saturday evening in Madrid.

Goalscoring feats
Spanish champions Boomerang, who won this trophy in 2004 but last season were eliminated by their successors Action 21 Charleroi on goal difference, have been in rampant form this time around. They won both their first qualifying round matches without conceding once, and started the next stage with an 11-0 victory against Cristal Noir MB Morlanwelz, eventually totalling 20 goals in three games. Then in the semi-finals they produced an 11-4 aggregate triumph against FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Dinamo challenge
Dinamo, beaten finalists a year ago in an epic against Charleroi, had the best first qualifying round record as they racked up 26 goals. In the next stage they gained revenge on Charleroi with a 5-3 victory as they topped their pool, and Kairat Almaty were dispatched 8-3 overall. Boomerang's Brazilian international Neto, one of the few players in their squad to join since the 2004 victory, believes his team can rise to the challenge, as they did earlier this month to retain the Intercontinental Futsal Cup in his home nation.

Boomerang experience
"This final is between the two top teams in Europe and the competition where we've played at our best and Boomerang transform for finals: we play well because in a way the team is used to playing finals," he said. "Dinamo are a very good team and they change players a lot during a match, they rotate in fours and have excellent Brazilian and Russian players, so we need to avoid conceding any goals at home."

Duo banned
The visitors hope to field four of Neto's compatriots, Pelé, Joan, Sirilo and Henrique, the latter of who was one of Charleroi's heroes last year. However, the man he moved to Dinamo with, Kelson, is suspended on Saturday along with Ukrainian striker Oleksiy Kudlay. On top of that, Pelé and Cirilo are doubts after suffering injuries last weekend in their league wins against MFK Spartak Shelkovo that left them on the verge of another title. Defender Enrike is definitely out. Coach Aleksandr Shibaev said: "The team has prepared well, yet we do not have our optimal squad. The hope is that the Brazilians will recover, otherwise we're in a very difficult situation."

Draw 'OK'
Last season Dinamo lost the first leg of the final 4-3 in Charleroi, and Shibaev knows anything better than that would be a fine result ahead of the return a week on Sunday. "Boomerang are the favourites, but that's good for Dinamo," he said. "Our chances are just under 50 per cent, because the Spaniards are still more experienced. Yet as humdrum as it sounds, everything will be decided in the match itself. If we don't lose in Spain, any score will be OK for us. I am not even thinking about defeat."

Memories banished
Many of the Dinamo team are veterans of last season's heartbreaking 10-9 aggregate loss in extra time against Charleroi, including Konstantin Maevskiy, who along with Pelé and Boomerang duo Daniel and Joan (not to be confused with the Dinamo player of the same name) are one booking from a second-leg ban. Looking back to a year ago, Maevskiy said: "Those games are a thing of the past, only the result remains. As for the upcoming final, we will start from scratch."