Shaktar Donetsk v Sevilla - Preview

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Sevilla will continue their bid for a third consecutive Europa League title when they play Shakhtar Donetsk in Thursday's semi-final first leg.

The Spanish side, winners in 2014 and 2015, like Shakhtar entered this year's competition after being knocked out at the Champions League group stage.

The match will be staged in Lviv, where Shakhtar have had to play home games.

They have been unable to play in their home ground in Donetsk due to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. Lviv lies nearly 800km to the west of Donetsk.

Uefa Cup winners in 2009, Shakhtar saw domestic rivals Dynamo Kiev claim their Ukrainian league title on Sunday.

They last met Sevilla in 2007, when the Spanish side's goalkeeper scored an injury-time equaliser to send their Uefa Cup last-16 tie into extra time.

Sevilla went on to win their second successive title and now have the most Europa League titles in history with four in total.

Mircea Lucescu

It is very important to maintain a high performance level. Shakhtar have reached it by lifting the UEFA Cup [in 2009] and now we are in the Europa League semi-finals. Other eastern teams like CSKA [Moskva], Zenit, Galatasaray all won the UEFA Cup but none managed a semi-final after it, none of them repeated their success. I'm very proud of my players and of the team.

We've shown some clips of the two games [against Sevilla in the 2007 UEFA Cup round of 16] to the players. We had ten seconds left! Sevilla went on to win the UEFA Cup. I think they just got lucky. Let's hope the luck they had then now passes to us; everything in life balances itself out.

Unai Emery, Sevilla coach

We're enjoying every moment, we have so much energy right now. Shakhtar's record in the last ten years is spectacular but they have lost important players along the way. We've got to the semi-finals three years in a row and are thinking only of getting through.

We're in great form at the moment. Our players' eyes are open, they are excited, and I think the team is united. We are well aware that we have an opportunity to make history.

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OSM - Florentino Still Needs a Real Plan

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Florentino Perez is no doubt choking on his copos de maiz this bright Sunday November morning as he struggles to find any tasteful headline on the front pages of Madrid’s sports dailies, Marca and AS. Hoping to avoid the screaming headlines coming from Catalunya where Mundo Deportivo, La Grada, SPORT and L’Esportiu focus the numbers 0-4 all over the place. With supporting quotes from Barcelona manager Luis Enrique saying: "This victory tastes glorious because it is against our eternal rivals," said Enrique, who played for both sides. "It will be very difficult for us to better this performance." 

Enough to put anyone in the Real Madrid camp off their breakfast following the teams shattering home defeat by four goals to nil at the Santiago Bernabeu. None more so than Rafael Benitez who may be undercover in the safety of Liverpool perhaps with his family following the fallout from El Clasico. The news no better from Merseyside where Juergen Klopp celebrates a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester City on Saturday at the Etihad. The kind of news that will resurrect the questions as to why Perez couldn’t convince the German to come to Madrid.

Under normal circumstances Florentino has a plan when a manager is let go, fired or departs under mutual consent. On this occasion it didn’t seem to be the case and almost surreptitiously Benitez became the choice – and the only choice. Catching even the Spanish press off guard in July as there was so little pomp and ceremony. All strange given that the end of season under Carlo Ancelotti became a debacle his departure was heralded well in advance. Usually a signal that the new and better alternative is ready for action. 

The complication appears to have been Juergen Klopp rigidly sticking to his plans for a sabbatical year – a plan that Fenway Sports Management seem to have easily broken – when the German joined Liverpool after Rodger was fired. Confirming in a way that somewhere along the line the Real Madrid President’s best laid plan was foiled.

Now post a humiliating defeat to Barca the options for Rafa Benitez and Florentino Perez seem limited. With only a quick written letter to Papa Noel able to save the manager from the sack at this moment in time. Given that the media were already on his case about the style of play and the defeat to Sevilla even before Saturday’s clash. The added discontent displayed by Cristiano Ronaldo these days fans the flames of another spectre for Perez also. Adding to the general malaise amongst the squad following quotes emanating from the social media conscious, Sergio Ramos. 

With Gareth Bale struggling with injury – and still not flavour of the month at Madrid – he is looking more likely to return to the premier league next year. Despite the best protestations of his agent, Jonathan Barnett.

For Rafa the next few days will be Shankly-esque. Indeed pale in comparison to any of the worst days at Liverpool, or Napoli. Or indeed the battles he faced when he stepped in as interim manager at Chelsea. Prior to Mourinho’s return. A man whose name has also been quoted as a candidate to return to the club. As has Ancelotti and indeed Guus Hiddink. All of whom would only be short term replacements as the club seeks out their long term candidate. 

In the short term the issue is whether Benitez can be rehabilitated as the current candidate. Or will the club expedite Zidane or Fernando Hierro to step in the breach,

Clearly Florentino now needs a plan. 

It maybe one that does not include the former Real Madrid player - Rafael Benitez Maudes

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One Wish for Wales Boss

The Wales manager Chris Coleman has one wish at the Euro 2016 draw – avoid England.

Having been placed in the bottom pot after ending a 58-year wait to play at a major tournament, Coleman accepts a tough task is heading Wales’s way whatever the outcome of the draw in Paris on Saturday evening.

But Coleman is keen to avoid an encounter with England, one of the top seeds, and all the hype that a battle of Britain would involve.

“Against anyone on our day, and we’ve proved it, we’re a good team and difficult to play against,” Coleman said after a qualification campaign in which Wales took four points from Belgium, the world’s best team according to the Fifa rankings.

“But, if I’m honest, I’d prefer it if we didn’t play England. That would be viewed as a battle of Britain and there would be a lot of things that go with it that could make it a distraction.

“We will play three games and we don’t want it to all be about one of them.”

Wales’s first qualification since the 1958 World Cup was largely achieved through defensive discipline and the attacking brilliance of Gareth Bale.

Only England, Romania and Spain conceded fewer goals in qualifying as captain Ashley Williams marshalled a defence which conceded only four times in 10 games.

At the other end the Real Madrid forward Bale was extraordinary, providing seven of Wales’s modest-11 goal tally, and his absence from Euro 2016 for any reason is simply unthinkable.

But the suspicion remains that Wales could be dangerous opponents in France; they can be hard to break down but are also capable of finding a vital goal.

“You have to go there with that ambition,” Bale said when asked about making an impact at Euro 2016. “We know we don’t concede too many and we can nick a goal against anybody, so there’s no reason we can’t.

“Obviously you might need a bit of luck along the way, but we’ll be going there trying to upset a few people.”

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Ronaldo Sets Real Record

Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for goals scored in the group stage of the Champions League of 11 when he scored four in an 8-0 win against Malmo in Group A on Tuesday.

The goals came in 22 minutes. The Portugal forward made it 3-0 to his team seven minutes before half-time at the Bernabéu and added three more in the 47th, 50th and 59th minutes.

Ronaldo, who has reached double figures for a fifth consecutive Champions League campaign, extended his all-time Champions League scoring record to 88 goals.

He is the first Real player to score four goals in a Champions League match, with the overall record of five held by Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano, who achieved the feat with Shakhtar Donetsk but now plays for Milan.

Ronaldo’s first goal improved his surprisingly poor record at free-kicks. It was only the third free-kick the Ballon d’Or holder had scored from in his last 97 attempts in all competitions, according to Spanish Twitter statistician @2010MisterChip.

The Portuguese also set up two goals by Karim Benzema and Mateo Kovavic put Real 7-0 ahead in the 70th minute before Benzema completed the rout with his third goal of the night 16 minutes from time.

Real finished the group stage on 16 points, with Paris St Germain, who had already qualified in second place, on 13 after they won 2-0 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.

The game meant little for Madrid because they had already secured first place in Group A, but the convincing victory helped ease the pressure on the coach Rafael Benítez and the president Florentino Pérez.

Shakhtar and Malmo, who lost to Nottingham Forest in the 1979 European Cup final, each have three points, with the Ukrainian side securing third place and a Europa League berth thanks to a better head-to-head record.

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Bale Injury Worries Wales

Gareth Bale limped off during Real Madrid's win over Shakhtar Donetsk last night with a suspected calf injury sparking fears he could miss Wales' crucial Euro 2016 qualifiers next month.

The 26-year-old forward was replaced by Mateo Kovacic after just 32 minutes having gone down holding his calf a couple of minutes earlier.

Bale was one of three Madrid players to suffer injuries in the Champions League clash at the Bernabeu with defenders Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane also picking up knocks as Madrid kicked off with a comfortable win.

However, manager Rafa Benitez admitted it is the injury to Bale that is most concerning.

"Obviously we have to wait," he said of the injured trio. "Two of them are kicks or knocks so we have to wait a little bit.

"Gareth is the only one I am a little bit more negative about in terms of the time so we have to wait, see the doctor and see what happens."

The injury casts doubt over whether the former Spurs man will be available for selection for Chris Coleman's Wales squad as they attempt to qualify for a first major tournament since 1958.

Wales need just one more point to reach Euro 2016 and face Bosnia-Herzegovina on October 10 before hosting Andorra three days later.

Bale himself is keeping his fingers crossed that he will not face a spell out of action, taking to social media to post on Twitter: "Great win at home to kick off our #UCL campaign, gutted to go off but hopefully nothing too serious."

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Aviva Welcome for Poland

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Republic of Ireland host Group D leaders Poland in Dublin looking to keep in touch with second place after picking up seven points from their first four games.

Germany, Scotland and Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland all sit on the same number of points, three behind Poland, with six games remaining.

They were beaten in Scotland in November after picking up two wins and a fine draw in Germany, while Poland have won three and drawn one, including an impressive win over the world champions.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Darron Gibson has returned to Everton with a groin problem, but full-back Stephen Ward and winger James McClean, who had ankle knocks, were both able to train on Friday. Hull winger Robbie Brady and Stoke's Marc Wilson are on standby to fill in at left-back if Ward is not fit.

Derby's Jeff Hendrick (hip) will miss the game and O'Neill is likely to partner James McCarthy and Glenn Whelan in central midfield

O'Neill has given away little about his selection and will not name his team until Sunday, but the final open training session suggested he may employ a three-man defence and wing-backs against the Poles.

Poland's injury list includes Lukasz Piszczek, Kamil Grosicki, Artur Jedrzejczyk and Michal Zyro, while Borussia Dortmund star Jakub Blaszczykowski has been left out of the squad amid newspaper reports of a spat with star striker Robert Lewandowski. However, coach Adam Nawałka insists he is concerned over the player's fitness after a year out with knee ligament damage.

With Wojciech Szczesny not featuring for his club Arsenal, Nawalka has announced that Swansea's Lukasz Fabianski will start in goal for his side with Artur Boruc on the bench.

Ireland's record in 25 games against Poland is W6 D9 L10. It was 0-0 when they last met, in a friendly in Poznan on 19 November 2013.

They have only met twice in competitive fixtures, and both matches ended in a draw – 0-0 in Dublin and 3-3 in Poznan in EURO '92 qualifying.

Ireland have won three of their last four competitive games at the Dublin Arena.

Poland have won both of their away games in Group D, scoring 11 goals and conceding none.

Poland come into this match having played exactly 100 UEFA European Championship games, with the record W41 D28 L31.

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