Celitc v Shakhtar Pre-Match preview press pack:
Switching focus
Shakhtar approach the match on the back of eight straight victories in the Ukrainian Premier League, and Lucescu
is keen for that form to continue on the European stage at the expense of the Scottish champions whom they beat
3-0 at home in October 2004. “We need a good start to the group stage,” said the Romanian, whose team hope to
make it through to the knockout phase for the first time in what is their third UEFA Champions League campaign. Celtic are stronger than three years ago when we last met in the Champions League, but so are we."
Contrasting styles
“Celtic and Shakhtar have differing styles. Celtic are physically strong and well organised; they run from the first
whistle until the very last, just like Gordon Strachan did in his playing days. We are more technical and it will be a
battle of styles,” continued Lucescu, who singled out the visitors’ defence, and their goalkeeper in particular, for praise.
“Celtic are better than us in defence, and if I could pick one player who I don’t really want to play then it has to be
Artur Boruc.”
Key absentees
The hosts will be without the banned Dmytro Chygrynskiy at the RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, with the captain’s armband
going to Darijo Srna. Celtic manager Strachan has problems of his own after Steven Pressley underwent back surgery.
Like Shakhtar, the former Manchester United FC midfielder’s side lead their domestic league having scored five goals
in each of the last three fixtures; yet the manager is more focused on the opposition’s attacking prowess: “I don’t know
how dangerous Shakhtar will be but they have the potential to be very dangerous. That said, if we play this tie like
the [FC] Spartak [Moskva] one [in the third qualifying round], we should give a good account of ourselves.”
Improving record
Celtic defeated Spartak on penalties to seal their progress last month, a triumph set up by a 1-1 away draw, though
success on the road has often eluded them. The Glasgow club have claimed one point from their last 12 away games
in the group stage and, understandably perhaps, Strachan is keen to look forward. “It took Milan more than 100
minutes to score against us [in the last 16 last season] and we had a good match at Spartak,” he said. “I can’t account
for all Celtic teams but I think we’ve improved over the last couple of years. I would say most sides in the Champions
League have a better home record than away record. All we can do is concentrate on our form our side of the
equation.”
Srna sets out Shakhtar strength
Darijo Srna will replace the suspended Dmytro Chygrynskiy as FC Shakhtar Donetsk captain against Celtic FC on
Tuesday and the stand-in skipper believes he will lead his team to victory.
The 25-year-old Croatian international has featured in Shakhtar’s last two UEFA Champions League group stage
campaigns, including the 2004/05 edition when they beat Celtic 3-0 in Ukraine. That season, like last term and their
2000/01 debut, they missed out on the knockout phase but Srna is determined to put that right he points to their
fine home record in the tournament with only two defeats in nine games and wins against the likes of FC Barcelona
and Arsenal FC. “As our coach Mircea Lucescu has said, Celtic are better than three years ago, but Shakhtar are
better as well,” he said. “We respect Celtic but we are a better team and we will try to prove it on the pitch. Shakhtar
will be at home with a full stadium behind us. We are hard to beat at home and our three seasons in the Champions
League show that.”
Defensive duties
Srna, expected to start at right-back rather than in his normal wing position, admits that the defence will have extra
pressure on them in the absence of Chygrynskiy. “The most important thing is not to concede a goal,” Srna said. “We
will have our chances. We need to score and with three years of experience in the Champions League we have what
it takes. If we want to get to the knockout stage, we need to avoid schoolboy errors. It is important to start well.”
Club focus
Fifteen Shakhtar players were in international action last week, and only Srna, fresh from scoring for Croatia against
Andorra on Wednesday, and striker Cristiano Lucarelli made the XI for Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League victory at FC
Chornomorets Odesa. If coach Lucescu had one eye on the Celtic encounter, Srna’s focus is firmly on the fixture.
“The Champions League cannot be compared to the national team,” Srna said. “I played two matches and I have
forgotten about them already. I hope everyone else has done the same.”
Match background
FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic FC meet in their opening Group D fixture both aiming to avoid the fate that befell
them when they were last drawn together in the UEFA Champions League. Then, in season 2004/05, neither side
made it beyond the group stage and, with holders AC Milan the undoubted favourites to win this section, a losing start
for either here would leave them facing an uphill struggle to finish in the top two.
There are grounds for optimism in both camps. Shakhtar may have missed out on the knockout stages in their three
previous group stage campaigns but they have a strong home record in the competition, having registered five wins
and two draws in nine matches at their RSC Olympiyskiy stadium.
As for Celtic, champions of Europe in 1967, they will be determined to build on their success of last season where,
at the fourth attempt, they progressed for the first time to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League in its modern
format.
Second in the Ukrainian Premier League last season, Mircea Lucescu’s team reached the group stage by retrieving
a two-goal deficit to defeat FC Salzburg in the third qualifying round. Already trailing 1-0 after a first-leg loss in Austria,
Shakhtar fell further behind when Remo Meyer struck five minutes into the return. However, goals from Cristiano
Lucarelli (9) and substitutes Nery Alberto Castillo (79) and Brando (87) earned the Ukrainian side victory.
Scottish champions Celtic also progressed in dramatic circumstances, overcoming FC Spartak Moskva 4-3 on
penalties after two 1-1 draws. Gordon Strachans side led in both ties, but strikes from Paul Hartley in Moscow and
Scott McDonald in Glasgow were cancelled out by Roman Pavlyuchenko on each occasion. Both Pavlyuchenko and
Celtic’s Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink missed penalties in the return fixture before the concluding shootout where two
saves from Artur Boruc proved decisive.
Shakhtar were 3-0 winners when the teams met in Ukraine on 20 October 2004, prevailing through second-half
goals from Matuzalem (2) and Brando. It was their first encounter with a Scottish side.
The lineups for the match were:
Shakhtar - Jan Latuvka; Flavius Stoican, Cosmin Barcauan, Mariusz Lewandowski, Razvan Rat; Andriy Vorobey
(Brando), Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Matuzalem; Zvonimir Vukia; Julius Agahowa (Darijo Srna), Ciprian Marica (Igor Duljaj)
Celtic - David Marshall; Didier Agathe, Stanislav Varga, Dianbobo Balde, Jackie McNamara (Stephen McManus);
Stilian Petrov, Neil Lennon, Chris Sutton, Juninho Paulista (Aiden McGeady); John Hartson, Henri Camara.
Six Shakhtar players in action that day are still at the club Brando, Duljaj, Lewandowski, Rat, Srna and Vukia
but only three from that Celtic side remain Balde, McGeady and McManus.
Celtic won the return 1-0 only their second victory in eight past meetings with Ukrainian opposition.
Celtic reached the first knockout round of last season’s competition thanks to their formidable home form. They won
all three home games in the group stage while losing every match outside Celtic Park. In the first knockout round, an
extra-time Kak strike at San Siro consigned them to a 1-0 aggregate defeat by Milan.
Those four away defeats in last term’s competition mean Celtic have lost 12 of 13 previous away matches in the
UEFA Champions League.
Shakhtar lost fewer games than Celtic in the 2006/07 group stage only two and both away from home but the
fact they only won once, a 1-0 home success against AS Roma, consigned them to third place in their section.
They duly stepped into the UEFA Cup where their hopes were extinguished in the Round of 16 by eventual winners
Sevilla FC, who won 3-2 in Donetsk after a 2-2 draw in Spain.
Match facts
Shakhtar
Igor Duljaj’s next appearance in UEFA club competition will be his 70th.
Evgen Bredun celebrated his 25th birthday on 10 September, six days after Tom Hbschman turned 26.
Shakhtar defeated FC Chornomorets Odesa 2-1 on Saturday afternoon to strengthen their position on top of the
Ukrainian Premier League. Cristiano Lucarelli was first on target after 20 minutes with a penalty. On 52 minutes,
Mircea Lucescu’s team doubled their lead as Dmytro Chygrynskiy rose to head in Jadson’s corner. Oleh Venhlinskyy
pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute.
Mariusz Lewandowski and Volodymyr Yezerskiy were rested, with Hbschman and Vyacheslav Shevchuk
coming in. Willian made his debut, appearing as a substitute for Jadson in the second half. Olexandr Gladkiy was
saved until early in the second half, with Brando and Lucarelli the forward partnership. Nery Castillo was also
given a break from action.
“After international games clubs always have certain problems,” said Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu. “Overall I’m
not satisfied with our performance, even though we created enough chances. We were not as concentrated as normal,
especially when it came to organisation of defence. Even so we got the three points and the enthusiasm after today’s
match should help us against Celtic. I’m satisfied, because Chornomorets are a good and well-organised team.”
Shakhtar suffered a number of departures before the start of the new season. Matuzalem (8m to Real Zaragoza),
Ciprian Marica (8m to VfB Stuttgart), Elano Blumer (12m to Manchester City FC), Andriy Vorobey and
Vyacheslav Sviderskiy (both 1m to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk) all moved on.
Shakhtar nevertheless spent almost 60m on new players over the summer, Lucarelli joining from AS Livorno Calcio
for 8m on a three-year deal. He became the first Italian to play in the Ukrainian top flight and chose to wear the No99
shirt.
Gladkiy signed for 2.5m from FC Kharkiv on a five-year contract, while a club-record 20m was spent on Castillo
from Olympiacos CFP.
Ilsinho arrived from So Paulo FC for 11m after taking the advice of former Shakhtar player Elano. He now lives
in the house where his countrymate stayed during his stint in Donetsk.
Yezerskiy signed for 1.2m from Dnipro and Willian left SC Corinthians for 14m.
Andriy Pyatov also completed his switch to Shakhtar after signing a five-year contract in December but spending
six months with former club FC Vorskla Poltava. He officially became a Shakhtar player on 30 June.
Dmytro Shutkov decided to prolong his playing career by one more year after originally planning to hang up his
gloves to move into coaching. The veteran has played more times for Shakhtar than anyone in the club’s history,
appearing 265 times in the top flight after making his debut in August 1991.
Shakhtar were beaten in the Ukrainian Super Cup on 10 July, losing out 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw against
FC Dynamo Kyiv. Gladkiy opened the scoring and after the champions had fought back to lead 2-1, Serhiy Tkachenko
forced the match into a shoot-out.
The teams met again five days later in the opening league fixture of the season and once again it finished honours
even, this time 1-1 in Donetsk. Since that game the club have gone on an impressive eight-game winning run in the
Premier League, beating FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka (3-0), FC Zorya Luhansk (3-0), FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod
(1-0), FC Vorskla Poltava (2-1), FC Metalist Kharkiv (3-1), SC Tavriya Simferopol (2-0), FC Arsenal Kyiv (4-1) and
Chornomorets (2-1).
Castillo had to play both legs of Shaktar’s UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against FC Salzburg
wearing a special mask after suffering a broken nose in an earlier league game.
The player enjoyed a busy summer after playing for Mexico at the Copa Amrica, where his team finished third.
Castillo also featured for Mexico in their 3-1 friendly defeat against Brazil on 12 September.
Gladkiy made his bow for Ukraine and scored his first senior international goal in a friendly 2-1 win against Uzbekistan
on 22 August.
Yezerskiy and Olexandr Kucher played the whole of Ukraine’s UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying Group B matches
against Georgia and Italy on September 8 and 12 respectively. Olexiy Gay was as a substitute against Georgia and
started against Italy while Gladkiy came on in the second half of both games.
Lucarelli was a substitute in Italy’s 0-0 draw against France in Group B on 8 September, while Darijo Srna started
Croatia’s Group E qualifiers against Estonia and Andorra. He missed a penalty in the first game but made amends
with a goal in the 6-0 victory against Andorra.
Rzvan Rac played the full 90 minutes of Romania’s 3-0 Group G win against Belarus on 8 September, Lewandowski
completed both of Poland’s Group A games against Portugal and Finland and Duljaj was a second-half substitute in
Serbia’s draw against Portugal in the same section.
Before the new academic year Shakhtar issued more than 400,000 diaries to schools containing the club’s details
and 132,000 learning tables in both Russian and Ukrainian.
Celtic
Maciej {urawski is one appearance shy of 50 in UEFA club competition.
{urawski celebrated his 31st birthday on 12 September, two days after Stephen McManus turned 25.
Jean-Jol Doumb is 29 on 27 September.
Celtic went to the top of the Scottish Premier League for the first time this season with an 5-0 home win against
bottom club Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC on Saturday. The goals came from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (14,
58), Massimo Donati (40), Shunsuke Nakamura (55) and a Phil McGuire own goal (69).
Maciej {urawski was left out of the squad after returning from international duty with a stomach bug, although he
travelled to Ukraine with the rest of the squad on Sunday. Steven Pressley was also ruled out after undergoing back
surgery but Scott McDonald recovered from a hamstring injury.
“There was a bit of pressure on us because of the opportunity to go top of the league but the players handled that,”
said Celtic manager Gordon Strachan. “To win 5-0 was fantastic especially when you consider we have a big game
coming up on Tuesday.”
Vennegoor of Hesselink’s two goals against Inverness made him Celtic’s top scorer with five so far this season.
The victory was the third consecutive match in which Celtic have scored five goals having beaten Heart of Midlothian
FC 5-0 and Saint Mirren FC 5-1 before the international break.
Pressley is likely to miss the majority of Celtic’s group stage campaign after being ruled out for up to eight weeks
following back surgery.
Celtic concluded most of their transfer business early this summer with Scott Brown and Donati the most notable
arrivals while former captain Neil Lennon joined Nottingham Forest FC. The Scottish champions paid Hibernian FC
6.4m, a domestic record, to secure Brown on a five-year deal and the club also spent a reported 4.4m to take
Donati, who has signed a four-year contract, from UEFA Champions League holders AC Milan. McDonald, whose
two goals for Motherwell FC on the final day of the 2004/05 season gave Rangers FC the Scottish Premier League
title at Celtic’s expense, joined for 1.1m.
Perrier-Doumb, who scored the winner in last season’s Scottish FA Cup final, signed a one-year deal after a
six-month loan from Stade Rennais FC while John Kennedy completed his comeback from a three-year absence
with a knee injury with a new three-year contract. Theodor Bjarnason was also handed a three-year deal and
Chris Killen joined from Hibernian on a similar contract.
Lennon aside, Kenny Miller and Thomas Gravesen were the other high-profile departures during the final week
of the summer transfer window. Derby County FC paid 4.4m for Miller and Gravesen rejoined Everton FC on a
year-long loan. Craig Beattie also moved to England, signing for West Bromwich Albion FC for a fee that could rise
to 2.6m while Adam Virgo joined Colchester United FC on a six-month loan.
Celtic added to their backroom staff with the appointment of Frenchman Grgory Dupont as head of sport science.
The 34-year-old performed the same role at LOSC Lille Mtropole for seven years and will work with Celtic’s first
team, reserves and youth sides to improve players’ fitness levels.
After a pre-season tour that took in the United States, Switzerland and England, Celtic kicked off the defence of their
title with a goalless draw at home to Kilmarnock FC on 5 August. They then came from a goal down to win at Falkirk
FC (4-1) and Aberdeen FC (3-1) before moving up a gear with overwhelming victories against Hearts (5-0) and St
Mirren (5-1).
Celtic have been drawn away to first division side Dundee FC in the third round of the Scottish League Cup.
Stephen McManus was one of three Celtic players who started Scotland’s 1-0 friendly international against South
Africa at Pittodrie on 22 August. Brown and Gary Caldwell were also in the starting lineup.
A day before his 25th birthday, McManus scored his first international goal in the 3-1 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying
Group B win against Lithuania at Hampden Park on 8 September, converting former Celtic forward Shaun Maloney’s
cross with 13 minutes to go to give Scotland a 2-1 lead. “It arrived at an awkward height and I just improvised to try
and keep the ball low,” McManus told uefa.com. “Luckily it worked and it turned out to be an important goal.” Brown
earned his fifth cap, while Paul Hartley and Caldwell were unused substitutes.
On the same day midfielder Aiden McGeady started for the Republic of Ireland in their 2-2 Group D draw away to
Slovakia, Artur Boruc and {urawski were in the starting lineup for Poland’s 2-2 Group A draw with Portugal in Lisbon
and Vennegoor of Hesselink was an unused substitute as the Netherlands won 2-0 against Bulgaria in Group G.
Three Celtic players started Scotland’s 1-0 win away to France at the Parc des Princes on 12 September when
James McFadden’s second-half strike sent the visitors top of Group B. Hartley came in as a holding midfielder with
McManus at centre-back and Brown moving to right midfield while Caldwell was again on the bench as the visitors
celebrated their first win on French soil since 1950.
“It was brilliant; what a result,” said Hartley. “It just doesn’t get any better than that. It was a fantastic performance
by everyone. We’ve got a long way to go but we’re in the driving seat now.”
It was a disappointing night for McGeady as Ireland’s qualifying hopes receded following their 1-0 defeat by the
Czech Republic in Prague. Boruc also endured a frustrating evening as Poland were held to a goalless draw in Finland
with {urawski relegated to the bench. Vennegoor of Hesselink was also a substitute in the Netherlands’ 1-0 victory
in Albania in Group G.
Japanese midfielder Nakamura featured in friendly internationals against Austria and Switzerland, scoring two
second-half penalties in a 4-3 win against the Swiss on 11 September.
Squad list
Shakhtar
Current season All-time
UCLQ UCL League UCL UEFA
No Player Nat. DoB Age BL Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls
Goalkeepers
1 Bohdan Shust UKR 04.03.1986 21 - - - - - - - 4 - 10 -
30 Andriy Pyatov UKR 28.06.1984 23 - 4 - - - 9 - - - 4 -
35 Yuriy Virt UKR 04.05.1974 33 - - - - - - - 6 - 31 -
Defenders
3 Tom Hbschman CZE 04.09.1981 26 - 1 - - - 5 - 26 - 53 2
5 Olexandr Kucher UKR 22.10.1982 24 - 3 - - - 6 - 2 - 10 -
11 Ilsinho BRA 12.10.1985 21 - 2 - - - 5 2 - - 2 -
13 Vyacheslav Shevchuk UKR 13.05.1979 28 - - - - - 4 - 3 - 15 -
26 Rzvan Rac ROU 26.05.1981 26 - 4 - - - 6 - 9 - 47 -
27 Dmytro Chygrynskiy UKR 07.11.1986 20 - 3 - - - 8 1 5 - 14 -
55 Volodymyr Yezerskiy UKR 15.11.1976 30 - 1 - - - 6 - - - 24 2
Midfielders
4 Igor Duljaj SRB 29.10.1979 27 - 4 - - - 7 - 16 - 69 -
7 Fernandinho BRA 04.05.1985 22 - 3 - - - 9 2 5 1 23 4
8 Jadson BRA 05.10.1983 23 - 4 - - - 8 2 6 1 25 1
9 Nery Castillo MEX 13.06.1984 23 - 1 1 - - 3 - 12 5 16 6
10 Zvonimir Vukia SRB 19.07.1979 28 - 1 - - - 2 - 6 - 35 6
14 Evgen Bredun UKR 10.09.1982 25 - - - - - - - - - - -
15 Volodymyr Priyomov UKR 02.01.1986 21 - 2 - - - 2 - - - 4 -
18 Mariusz Lewandowski POL 18.05.1979 28 - 4 - - - 5 1 9 - 45 2
19 Olexiy Gay UKR 06.11.1982 24 - - - - - 2 - 2 - 17 -
22 Willian BRA 09.08.1988 19 - - - - - - - - - - -
33 Darijo Srna CRO 01.05.1982 25 - 4 - - - 8 - 10 - 48 2
Forwards
17 Luiz Adriano BRA 12.04.1987 20 - 1 - - - 2 - - - 1 -
20 Olexiy Bielik UKR 15.02.1981 26 - - - - - 2 - 6 1 32 3
21 Olexandr Gladkiy UKR 24.08.1987 20 - 4 2 - - 9 7 - - 4 2
25 Brando BRA 16.06.1980 27 - 4 3 - - 8 3 10 1 40 12
99 Cristiano Lucarelli ITA 04.10.1975 31 - 3 1 - - 6 3 - - 21 9
Coach
- Mircea Lucescu ROU 29.07.1945 62 - 4 - - - - - 47 - 120 -
Last updated 16.09.2007 22:18:00CET
Squad list 1
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Celtic FC Tuesday 18 September 2007 - 20.45CET
MATCH PRESS KIT RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, Donetsk
Celtic
Current season All-time
UCLQ UCL League UCL UEFA
No Player Nat. DoB Age BL Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls
Goalkeepers
1 Artur Boruc POL 20.02.1980 27 - 1 - - - 4 - 8 - 15 -
21 Mark Brown SCO 28.02.1981 26 - 1 - - - 2 - - - 1 -
47 Michael McGovern NIR 12.07.1984 23 - - - - - - - - - - -
Defenders
3 Lee Naylor ENG 19.03.1980 27 - 2 - - - 6 - 8 - 10 -
5 Gary Caldwell SCO 12.04.1982 25 - 2 - - - 4 - 4 - 10 -
6 Dianbobo Bald FRA 05.10.1975 31 - - - - - - - 19 - 45 -
12 Mark Wilson SCO 05.06.1984 23 - 2 - - - 6 - 3 - 7 -
17 Stephen Pressley SCO 11.10.1973 33 - - - - - - - 2 - 29 -
24 Jean-Jol Doumb FRA 27.09.1978 28 - - - - - - - - - 9 -
41 John Kennedy SCO 18.08.1983 24 - 1 - - - 2 - 1 - 6 -
44 Stephen McManus SCO 10.09.1982 25 - 2 - - - 6 1 9 - 12 1
48 Darren O’Dea IRL 04.02.1987 20 - 1 - - - - - 3 - 4 -
49 Scott Cuthbert SCO 15.06.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - - -
52 Paul Caddis SCO 19.04.1988 19 - - - - - - - - - - -
Midfielders
8 Scott Brown SCO 25.06.1985 22 - 2 - - - 6 2 - - 7 1
11 Paul Hartley SCO 19.10.1976 30 - 1 1 - - 3 - - - 13 2
15 Evander Sno NED 09.04.1987 20 - 1 - - - 2 - 5 - 6 -
18 Massimo Donati ITA 26.03.1981 26 - 2 - - - 6 3 - - 12 1
20 JiY Jarok CZE 27.10.1977 29 - - - - - - - 38 6 56 11
25 Shunsuke Nakamura JPN 24.06.1978 29 - 2 - - - 5 3 8 2 10 2
42 Michael McGlinchey SCO 07.01.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - - -
45 James O’Brien SCO 28.09.1987 19 - - - - - - - - - - -
46 Aiden McGeady SCO 04.04.1986 21 - 2 - - - 5 - 9 - 12 -
53 Simon Ferry SCO 11.01.1988 19 - - - - - - - - - - -
54 Ryan Conroy SCO 28.04.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - - -
56 Theodor Bjarnason ISL 04.03.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - 2 -
Forwards
7 Maciej {urawski POL 12.09.1976 31 - 1 - - - 3 - 5 - 49 24
10 Jan Vennegoor of HesselinkNED 07.11.1978 28 - 2 - - - 6 5 33 5 55 10
14 Derek Riordan SCO 16.01.1983 24 - 1 - - - 2 - - - 2 1
27 Scott McDonald AUS 21.08.1983 24 - 2 1 - - 4 1 - - 2 1
33 Chris Killen NZL 08.10.1981 25 - - - - - 4 - - - 3 1
43 Diarmuid O’Carroll IRL 16.03.1987 20 - - - - - - - - - - -
55 Paul McGowan SCO 07.10.1987 19 - - - - - 1 - - - - -
Coach
- Gordon Strachan SCO 09.02.1957 50 - 2 - - - - - 8 - 14 -
Head coach
FC Shakhtar Donetsk: Mircea Lucescu
Date of birth: 29 July 1945
Nationality: Romanian
Playing career: FC Dinamo 1948 Bucure_ti, FC Stiinta Bucure_ti, FC Corvinul Hunedoara
Coaching career: FC Corvinul Hunedoara, Romania, FC Dinamo 1948 Bucure_ti, Pisa Calcio, Brescia Calcio,
Reggiana AC, AFC Rapid Bucure_ti, FC Internazionale Milano, Galatasaray SK, Be_ikta_ JK, FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Mircea Lucescu is one of the biggest personalities, and one of the greatest coaches, Romania has produced. He
joined FC Dinamo 1948 Bucure_ti in 1963, making his top-flight debut the following year. After spending two seasons
in the second division with FC Stiinta Bucure_ti, Lucescu returned to Dinamo and stayed another decade, winning
five championships and the Romanian Cup. Lucescu represented his country 70 times, scoring nine goals and
appearing at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
He was appointed player-coach of FC Corvinul Hunedoara in 1977 before hanging up his boots after 362 first division
appearances and 78 goals. As a coach his style has involved rebuilding teams, improving players who appeared to
be the finished article, and he took over as coach of Romania in 1981, becoming their technical director a year later.
In 1986, he returned to Dinamo as coach and guided them to a league title and cup win as well as the 1989/90 UEFA
Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals. A workaholic who speaks six foreign languages, Lucescu then had spells in charge of
Italian sides Pisa Calcio, Brescia Calcio, Reggiana AC and FC Internazionale Milano. After returning to Romania and
leading AFC Rapid Bucure_ti to their first title for 32 years in 1999, he moved to Turkey’s Galatasaray SK, where he
was a league winner and also got his hands on the UEFA Super Cup in 2000. After another title with Be_ikta_ JK he
took charge of FC Shakhtar Donetsk in 2004, winning the Ukrainian Premier League title in each of his first two
seasons.
Celtic FC: Gordon Strachan
Date of birth: 9 February 1957
Playing carer: Dundee FC, Aberdeen FC, Manchester United FC, Leeds United AFC, Coventry City FC
Coaching career: Coventry City FC, Southampton FC, Celtic FC
Gordon Strachan was an energetic and talented midfielder who was capped 50 times by Scotland and helped Aberdeen
FC to win the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson. He began in management while still a player at
English top-flight club Coventry City FC in November 1996.
He helped Coventry avoid relegation and then ended his on-field career aged 40 to concentrate on coaching, keeping
the club in the Premier League until 2001. Strachan was sacked early in the following season but was swiftly appointed
at Southampton FC - who he again kept in the highest division against the odds. In 2002/03 he took them to eighth
place in the English top flight and the FA Cup final, losing 1-0 to Arsenal FC but earning a UEFA Cup berth. Strachan
announced early the next season that he would step down at the end of the campaign for personal reasons and left
his role in March 2004 to concentrate on media work.
Always a man in demand due to his tactical astuteness and motivational skills, in summer 2005 Strachan was given
the tough task of succeeding Martin O’Neill at Celtic FC. Strachan’s reign began with a disastrous 5-0 loss at FC
Artmedia in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg, and a 4-0 win in the return could not
salvage their European campaign. But Celtic regrouped and won the Scottish Premier League in record time and also
lifted the Scottish League Cup. Last season Celtic triumphed in both Premier League and Scottish Cup, and got past
the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time, falling only to eventual winners AC Milan in the last 16
in extra time.
Match officials
Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco (ESP)
Assistant referees Fermin Martinez Ibanez (ESP), Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP)
Fourth official Vicente Lizondo Cortes (ESP)
UEFA Delegate Metin Kazancioglu (TUR)
UEFA Referee observer Jozef Marko (SVK)
Referee
Name Nat. DoB UCL UEFA
Alberto Undiano Mallenco ESP 08.10.1973 1 9
Alberto Undiano Mallenco has made tremendous progress in his native Spain in recent years and is quickly establishing
himself in high-level European action. His appointment on Matchday 1 of the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League was
his first taste of the competition proper, and was just reward for a tremendous summer. Undiano Mallenco was part
of the refereeing team at the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and had the honour of being in the
middle for the semi-final on 1 June in which the Netherlands, the eventual champions, defeated France 3-2.
The Pamplona-born official made his UEFA bow in May 2004 with two U19 qualifiers in Belgium and followed that up
just over a month later with his first taste of senior international action as Finland met Sweden in Helsinki. Undiano
Mallenco experienced his first UEFA finals with the 2004/05 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Northern
Ireland. By then, he had already taken control of a UEFA Champions League qualifier in July 2004, between APOEL
FC and AC Sparta Praha, and was back for another in August 2005, when Celtic FC welcomed FC Artmedia. His first
taste of the FIFA World Cup came with a September 2005 qualifier between Estonia and Latvia.
Back in Spain, Undiano Mallenco made his top-flight bow in September 2000 and had already reached the 100-game
milestone, aged just 32, at the start of the 2006/07 Primera Divisin season when he took charge of the Basque derby
between Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Sociedad de Ftbol. He also had the honour of refereeing the 2005/06 Spanish
Super Cup second-leg between FC Barcelona and Real Betis Balompi. In July 2007, he refereed the FIFA U-20
World Cup final that Argentina won with a 2-1 defeat of the Czech Republic in Toronto.
UEFA Champions League matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match
Date Comp. Stage Res. Venue
02.08.2005 UCL QR2 Celtic FC - FC Artmedia Petralka 4-0 Glasgow
Other matches - Matches involving teams from either of the two countries involved in this match
Date Comp. Stage Res. Venue
29.05.2006 U21 GS - FT Denmark - Ukraine 1-2 Agueda
Domestic information
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Premier League)
Comp. Date Opponent Res. Goalscorers
League 15/07/07 FC Dynamo Kyiv (H) 1-1 Jadson 60
League 21/07/07 FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka (A) 3-0 Lewandowski 52, Gladkiy 54, 63
League 27/07/07 FC Zorya Luhansk (H) 3-0 Jadson 22, Gladkiy 34, 43
League 05/08/07 FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod (A) 1-0 Brando 81
League 11/08/07 FC Vorskla Poltava (H) 2-1 Fernandinho 54, Gladkiy 79
League 19/08/07 FC Metalist Kharkiv (A) 3-1 Gladkiy 18, Fernandinho 68, Ilsinho 85
League 25/08/07 SC Tavriya Simferopol (H) 2-0 Lucarelli 24(pen), 40
Lineups: Pyatov, Ilsinho, Chygrynskiy, Yezerskiy, Shevchuk, Hbschman, Duljaj, Fernandinho, Vukia (Castillo 57),
Lucarelli (Gladkiy 63), Brando (Luiz Adriano 67)
League 01/09/07 FC Arsenal Kyiv (H) 4-1 Brando 49, 90, Gladkiy 53, Ilsinho 64
Lineups: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Yezerskiy, Shevchuk, Hbschman, Duljaj (Ilsinho 46), Fernandinho, Vukia (Gladkiy
38), Castillo (Jadson 46), Brando
League 15/09/07 FC Chornomorets Odesa (A) 2-1 Lucarelli 20(pen), Chygrynskiy 52
Lineups: Pyatov, Srna, Chygrynskiy, Kucher, Shevchuk, Fernandinho (Rac 81), Hbschman, Ilsinho, Jadson (Willian
57), Lucarelli (Gladkiy 56), Brando
League 23/09/07 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (H)
League 29/09/07 FC Metalurh Zaporizhya (A)
League 06/10/07 FC Karpaty Lviv (H)
League 20/10/07 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (A)
League 27/10/07 FC Kharkiv (H)
League 03/11/07 FC Metalurh Donetsk (A)
League 10/11/07 FC Dynamo Kyiv (A)
League 24/11/07 FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka (H)
League 01/12/07 FC Zorya Luhansk (A)
League 01/03/08 FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod (H)
League 08/03/08 FC Vorskla Poltava (A)
League 15/03/08 FC Metalist Kharkiv (H)
League 22/03/08 SC Tavriya Simferopol (A)
League 29/03/08 FC Arsenal Kyiv (A)
League 05/04/08 FC Chornomorets Odesa (H)
League 12/04/08 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (A)
League 19/04/08 FC Metalurh Zaporizhya (H)
League 26/04/08 FC Karpaty Lviv (A)
League 03/05/08 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (H)
League 11/05/08 FC Kharkiv (A)
Pos. Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1 FC Shakhtar Donetsk 9 8 1 0 21 5 25
2 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 9 7 1 1 18 5 22
3 FC Dynamo Kyiv 9 5 3 1 17 10 18
4 FC Metalurh Zaporizhya 9 4 3 2 8 6 15
5 FC Metalist Kharkiv 9 4 2 3 13 11 14
6 SC Tavriya Simferopol 9 4 2 3 11 13 14
7 FC Kharkiv 9 3 3 3 6 7 12
8 FC Karpaty Lviv 9 3 2 4 11 12 11
9 FC Chornomorets Odesa 9 3 2 4 4 7 11
10 FC Vorskla Poltava 9 2 5 2 8 8 11
11 FC Zorya Luhansk 9 3 1 5 9 14 10
12 FC Metalurh Donetsk 9 2 4 3 12 12 10
13 FC Zakarpattya Uzhgorod 9 2 3 4 4 12 9
14 FC Arsenal Kyiv 9 2 2 5 17 16 8
15 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih 9 2 1 6 8 15 7
16 FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka 9 0 1 8 2 16 1
Celtic FC (Premier League)
Comp. Date Opponent Res. Goalscorers
League 05/08/07 Kilmarnock FC (H) 0-0
Own goal, K. Miller 76, Nakamura 79,
Vennegoor 81
League 11/08/07 Falkirk FC (A) 4-1
League 19/08/07 Aberdeen FC (A) 3-1 Donati 61, K. Miller 85, 90
Own goal, Donati 22, S. Brown 61,
Vennegoor 63(pen), Nakamura 79
League 25/08/07 Heart of Midlothian FC (H) 5-0
Lineups: Boruc, Wilson, G. Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, S. Brown, Donati, McGeady (Riordan 69),
Vennegoor (Killen 69), McDonald ({urawski 87)
S. Brown 22, McDonald 25, Vennegoor 53,
Own goal, McManus 74
League 02/09/07 Saint Mirren FC (A) 5-1
Lineups: Boruc, Wilson, Naylor, McManus, G. Caldwell, Sno (Donati 46), Hartley, Riordan, S. Brown, McDonald
({urawski 70), Vennegoor (Killen 64)
Vennegoor 15, 59, Donati 41, Nakamura
56, Own goal
League 15/09/07 Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (H) 5-0
Lineups: Boruc, Wilson, G. Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, S. Brown (Sno 63), Donati, McGeady, McDonald
(McGowan 72), Vennegoor (Killen 66)
League 23/09/07 Hibernian FC (A)
League 29/09/07 Dundee United FC (H)
League 07/10/07 Gretna FC (A)
League 20/10/07 Rangers FC (A)
League 27/10/07 Motherwell FC (H)
League 03/11/07 Kilmarnock FC (A)
League 10/11/07 Falkirk FC (H)
League 24/11/07 Aberdeen FC (H)
League 01/12/07 Heart of Midlothian FC (A)
League 08/12/07 Saint Mirren FC (H)
League 15/12/07 Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (A)
League 22/12/07 Hibernian FC (H)
League 26/12/07 Dundee United FC (A)
League 29/12/07 Gretna FC (H)
League 02/01/08 Rangers FC (H)
League 05/01/08 Motherwell FC (A)
League 19/01/08 Kilmarnock FC (H)
League 26/01/08 Falkirk FC (A)
League 09/02/08 Aberdeen FC (A)
League 16/02/08 Heart of Midlothian FC (H)
Pos. Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts
1 Celtic FC 6 5 1 0 22 3 16
2 Rangers FC 6 5 0 1 20 7 15
3 Dundee United FC 6 4 1 1 9 2 13
4 Hibernian FC 6 3 3 0 10 6 12
5 Motherwell FC 6 4 0 2 8 7 12
6 Kilmarnock FC 6 3 1 2 7 6 10
7 Heart of Midlothian FC 6 2 2 2 8 10 8
8 Saint Mirren FC 6 2 0 4 4 11 6
9 Aberdeen FC 6 1 2 3 7 10 5
10 Falkirk FC 6 1 1 4 8 15 4
11 Gretna FC 6 0 1 5 5 17 1
12 Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC 6 0 0 6 2 16 0
L
UEFA information
Solidarity payments
UEFA is distributing 43.2m in solidarity payments from the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League to the top leagues of
UEFA’s member associations. Leagues with participants in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League will receive a total
of 36m, while leagues without participants in last season’s competition will receive 7.2m. The payment is being
made by UEFA as part of the solidarity scheme associated with the UEFA Champions League, Europe’s most
prestigious club competition. It is aimed at supporting youth development activities in professional football, and
complements other UEFA initiatives such as club licensing and the introduction of rules on locally-trained players.
Coaching licence
London will be the setting as UEFA celebrates the tenth anniversary of the introduction of the European Coaching
Licence. The seventh UEFA Symposium for Coach Education Directors, which will take place on 24-26 September
at the Grange City Hotel, will focus on events that have taken place in the decade since six UEFA member associations
- France, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain and Italy - were the first to sign the UEFA Convention on the Mutual
Recognition of Coaching Qualifications. High-profile guests and speakers including Grard Houllier, Fabio Capello
and Sir Trevor Brooking, will contribute.
Coaches forum
Many of the top coaches in Europe were at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on 6-7 September for the
ninth UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum. Illustrious names such as Jos Mourinho, Arsne Wenger, Ottmar Hitzfeld
and Grard Houllier joined senior UEFA officials at the forum, an essential component within UEFA’s annual calendar.
The coaches have an ideal opportunity at the gathering, away from the pressures of competition, to debate matters
of mutual interest and to stimulate thoughts on the development of the game. The forum/seminar focused on technical
trends, tactical tracking systems to assist coaches, refereeing issues and top-level training methods. In previous years
the meetings have produced various recommendations which UEFA has taken on board for the overall benefit of the
European club game.
Safety summit
UEFA, in co-operation with the Dutch National Football Information Point (CIV), brought together various parties in
Amsterdam earlier this month to discuss safety and security aspects related to international football matches. The
meeting was attended by representatives of the European police and governmental bodies, security officers of UEFA
and the national football associations, and security officials of the clubs taking part in this season’s UEFA Champions
League. “The event provided an opportunity to initiate the security planning for the UEFA Champions League group
stage matches, to exchange information about the participating clubs and to share experiences and highlight good
and bad practices,” said UEFA.
Referee guidance
Europe’s referees have been given clear instructions for action on penalty-area jostling and stopping play for player
injuries. The instructions came during a two-day summer gathering of Europe’s top referees and assistants at UEFA’s
headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. “UEFA continues to work with Europe’s top referees and assistants, in particular
focusing on certain aspects which are harming the image of the modern game,” said the European body in a statement.
Key dates
The 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage will be played over six matchdays - 18/19 September, 2/3 October,
23/24 October, 6/7 November, 27/28 November and 11/12 December. The first knockout round will follow over two
legs on 19/20 February and 4/5 March after the draw in Nyon on 21 December. The draw for the quarter-finals,
semi-finals and final will be staged on 14 March. The last eight will be played on 1/2 and 8/9 April before the semi-finals
on 22/23 and 28/29 April. The 2008 UEFA Champions League final will be played in Moscow on 21 May, before UEFA
EURO 2008 kicks off in Austria and Switzerland on 7 June.
Match-by-match lineups - Group D
Club Pld W D L GF GA Pts
Celtic FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AC Milan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SL Benfica 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Match Result Stadium, Venue
18.09.2007 Milan - Benfica - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
18.09.2007 Shakhtar - Celtic - RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, Donetsk
03.10.2007 Celtic - Milan - Celtic Park, Glasgow
Estdio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica,
Lisbon
03.10.2007 Benfica - Shakhtar -
Estdio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica,
Lisbon
24.10.2007 Benfica - Celtic -
24.10.2007 Milan - Shakhtar - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
06.11.2007 Celtic - Benfica - Celtic Park, Glasgow
06.11.2007 Shakhtar - Milan - RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, Donetsk
Estdio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica,
Lisbon
28.11.2007 Benfica - Milan -
28.11.2007 Celtic - Shakhtar - Celtic Park, Glasgow
04.12.2007 Milan - Celtic - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
04.12.2007 Shakhtar - Benfica - RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, Donetsk
