Start building on UEFA Cup success, Tymoshchuk urges

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's former club Shakhtar Donetsk from his native Ukraine take on Germany's Werder Bremen in Istanbul tomorrow, vying to become the third former Soviet club in five years to win Europe's second-tier club competition.

Despite CSKA Moscow's UEFA Cup triumph in 2005 and Zenit St Petersburg's last year, no club from Russia or Ukraine has progressed beyond the Champions League group stage since 2004 when Lokomotiv Moscow fell in the first knockout round.

"The achievements in Europe (UEFA Cup) are the result of the attitude and growing rivalry in the (domestic) championships," Tymoshchuk, a distinctive figure on the field with long blond hair held back by a headband, said.

"Such victories are important; the clubs need them for development. But they need new efforts to step up to the next level... I mean the Champions League.

"If you want to be successful in the long term, it's necessary to develop the sporting process and organisation. The club must show ambition and commitment to be successful in the Champions League."

In one-off games, Eastern European sides have shown they can hold their own.

Zenit beat Champions League winners Manchester United to win last year's European Super Cup, while Shakhtar beat Champions League finalists Barcelona 3-2 in a group game in December albeit with the Spaniards fielding a second-string side.

One reason for their faltering Champions League campaigns could be the timing of the group stages, which come near the end of the Russian domestic season when players are tired and teams may be depleted because of injuries. By contrast, the UEFA Cup knockout rounds, which feature some of the clubs eliminated from the Champions League, come near the start of the Russian season when players are fresh.

The vast distances teams travel for league games in a country that spans 11 time zones also do not help.

In the week CSKA lost to Porto in a Champions League group game in 2006, they had just completed a return trip to the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, a nine-hour plane journey one way.

More confident

Ukraine international Tymoshchuk, who spent a decade at Shakhtar before joining Zenit in 2007, said the achievement of his national team in reaching the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup had helped the game improve at club level.

"Participating in the World Cup gave confidence and experience to players and it helped them develop their abilities," the 30-year-old defensive midfielder said.

Bringing in foreign players and coaches, thanks to billionaire clubs owners like Shakhtar's Rinat Akhmetov, has contributed to improving standards too.

"The arrival of foreigners and the development of football schools in Ukraine are part of the same process," said Tymoshchuk, who is joining Bayern Munich later this year.

"Top-level foreigners can be useful for Ukrainian football but there are Ukrainian players who also play key roles in their teams."

Asked if he had any advice for his former team for tomorrow's final, Tymoshchuk said: "They need to acknowledge that they have only done half the job by getting to the final.

"The other part is to win and this step is the hardest part."

Factbox: UEFA Cup final - S. Donetsk vs W. Bremen

Europa League

First contested in 1971-72 after replacing the Fairs Cup, this will be the 38th and last UEFA Cup final before UEFA's second-tier tournament becomes the Europa League next season, a rebranded and expanded competition which European football's governing body hope will give it renewed impetus.

Final venue

Tomorrow's final will be staged at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium, home to Fenerbahce and the first Turkish venue to stage a UEFA Cup final. The capacity is 53,586.

Major honours

Shakhtar Donetsk: 4 Ukrainian titles, 6 Ukrainian Cups, 4 USSR Cups.

Werder Bremen: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991-92, 4 German titles, 5 German Cups.

Key quotes

"We feel confident about our ability to win the competition and we shall prove it on the pitch" - Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu.

"Weak teams don't reach the final stage of the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar have come a long way and deserved the right to play in the final" - Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.

"We will badly miss Diego in Istanbul" - Werder coach Thomas Schaaf.

"We have a big enough team to win the cup in Istanbul" - Werder playmaker Diego.

Route to final

Shakhtar Donetsk: Finished third behind Barcelona and Sporting in Champions League Group C. Reached the UEFA Cup final after knocking out Tottenham, CSKA Moscow, Marseille and Dynamo Kiev.

Werder Bremen: Entered the UEFA Cup at the last 32 stage having finished third in Champions League Group B. They then overcame tournament favourites Milan on away goals before eliminating St Etienne, Udinese and Hamburg.

Trivia

Shakhtar Donetsk: Founded in 1936 as FC Stakhanovets, before adopting their current name 10 years later. They are nicknamed "The Pitmen" after their colliery roots. This is their first European final.

Werder Bremen: Founded as FV Werder in 1899. They became Werder Bremen in 1920 and have spent only one season outside the Bundesliga since it began in 1963-64.