Few people are more qualified to comment of the eagerly-awaited Euro 2008 quarter-final between Holland and Russia than Dick Advocaat. John Duerden caught up with the former Dutch boss and current coach of Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg. You were at the Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup –do you miss not being involved? Yes, I really miss it. That kind of championship and that kind of preparation for a coach is always really pleasant. Have you been surprised at how good the Netherlands have been? Well. If you had asked me that four weeks ago, I would have given a different answer. Everything has worked out for the team is a way that has been unbelievably positive. What has changed? They believe in each other at the moment and they believe in themselves as well. They had a meeting with the coach about the system and he changed that. The team likes to play football and it has worked out. He has given them a little bit of responsibility to change the system and they are all very happy with that. Is the defence a weak point? No. you know that the attractive players play in midfield and up front, and they are always the ones that grab the headlines. I think that they have a very decent defensive line with a good number of experienced players. What kind of game do you expect? I think that as I know Guus (Hiddink) he will say the same thing I said to my Zenit team when they played Bayern Munich ‘you have nothing to lose, just show how good you are, make it difficult for the other team and you can surprise them.’ Have you been impressed with Russia? They played well even taking into consideration the weakness of Greece and Sweden. Arshavin said in the Russian media ‘we can’t say that everything is perfect’ but if Russia play the same way against Holland as they played against Greece, they can progress. How do you stop Arshavin? He is a very opportunistic player, very based on himself. He’s a player that you don’t see for 50 minutes and then suddenly, he’s gone and can score a goal, Not a lot of players have that quality. Sometimes you sit on the bench and think ‘I have to take him out’ but you don’t do that because you know that he can change and decide the game in a second. If Zenit players play well, that could be a problem as other clubs become interested? Well, Arshavin is interested in moving to a foreign country. For us it is not so good that this tournament came after the championship because he can show himself and he will definitely do that tomorrow. I hope he will stay. You think he will go? If he gets the right opportunity I think he will go. What about Luca Toni? He played against you this season but can’t find the net for Italy I saw him with Bayern and he did really well. You have to take his supply lines away and make it difficult for him. You have to really close down the sides and cut the crosses because in the air he is excellent and a very good player. Can Spain defeat Italy? That is an exciting match and very interesting but I can’t say which team will win that one. Other teams that have impressed you? I have been impressed with the way Russia played against Sweden and Greece. They have been very fresh, attacking and they like to score goals. I was also impressed with Portugal even though they are now out. Has the competition been good overall? Average. Some good games and bad games. You were linked with the Blackburn job? To be honest, I will finish the Russian season which ends in November and then make a decision. I have heard nothing about it. You had no contact with Blackburn? No, otherwise I would tell you. Who will win tomorrow between Russia and Holland? The best team! (laughs) Who do you want to win? (laughs) I am not going to answer that! Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

UEFA Cup Zenit's success triumph of soccer Ozren Podnar reports... A brilliant Zenit team became only the second European trophy winner for Russia after CSKA Moscow three years ago. Congratulations to Zenit, as their soccer was like a puff of fresh air: lightfooted, attacking and ambitious, unlike that of Glasgow Rangers, which reminded us of Greece from the 2004 Euro. And that should not be taken as a compliment. At the City of Manchester, Zenit crowned their brilliant European season in which they overcame teams from the biggest leagues: Villarreal (1-0 and 1-2), Marseille (1-3 and 2-0), Bayer (4-1 and 0-1) and Bayern (1-1 and 4-0). The first leg against Bayer in Leverkusen, where the home team were thoroughly thrashed, opened everybody's eyes to the Russians' potential, and the later demolishing of Bayern delighted the fans everywhere thanks to an inspired and fast-paced play reminiscent of the wonderful Dinamo Kiev of the seventies and eighties. In spite of the admiration for the Rangers' commitment and desire, the neutrals largely fancied Zenit, who did not allow the Scots to suffocate them as they had suffocated Panathinaikos, Sporting and Fiorentina with their 7-8 men defense. . Even without Pavel Pogrebnyak, this season's UEFA Cup's top scorer, the St. Petersburg team had enough explosive to penetrate the Rangers' stonewall twice. The first to do it was Igor Denisov after a nice interplay with Andrei Arshavin and the last bricks of the bunker were demolished by Konstantin Ziryanov in the last minute after a cross by Fatih Tekke. As far as the Rangers are concerned, the finals in Manchester evoked memories from Barcelona 36 years ago. There Rangers played their previous European finals against another Russian squad, Dinamo Moscow, but then they prevailed by 3-2. The Rangers fans then also "prevailed" against the police at Camp Nou, which ultimately cost the team a two-year ban from Europe. UEFA Cup finals City of Manchester Stadium Zenit vs Rangers 2-0 (0-0) Scorers: Denisov (72), Ziryanov (90) Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Sretan ishod Kupa UEFA Čestitke Zenitu – i Istok ima "konja za trku" Sjajni sastav Zenita postala je druga ruska osvajačica europskog trofeja, tri godine nakon moskovskog CSKA. Obje su imale svog Hrvata, dapače Ivicu. CSKA Olića, Zenit Križanca. Svaka čast, i Križancu i Zenitu, jer njihov je nogomet poletan, ofenzivan i ambiciozan, za razliku od Rangersovog, koji nas je podsjetio na – Grčku s Eura 2004.! A o toj Grčkoj ne mislimo ništa dobra. Iako volimo bivšeg Rangerovca Dadu Pršu, naše su simpatije bile na strani Zenita, koji nije dao Škotima da ga zaguše kao što su ranije zagušili Panathinaikos, Sporting i Fiorentina: i bez Pavela Pogrebnjaka, prvog topnika Kupa UEFA, petrogradski je sastav imao dovoljno eksploziva da probije škotski bunker. Prvi je to učinio Igor Denisov u akciji s junakom navijača, Andrejom Aršavinom, a zadnje je "ciglice" bunkera srušio Konstantin Zirjanov u 90. minuti na dodavanje Turčina Fatiha Tekkea. Finale u Manchesteru donijelo je nekoliko zanimljivih podudarnosti. Prije 36 godina, Rangersi su svoje prethodno europsko finale odigrali protiv ruske momčadi, ali su tada bili bolji od moskovskog Dinama s 3:2; kao i rusku reprezentaciju, i Zenit danas vodi Nizozemac, Dick Advocaat, zvani Mali general. Zenitaši su protiv glasgowskih plavaca okrunili blistavu europsku sezonu, u kojoj su redom rušili momčadi iz najjačih liga: Villarreal s 1:0 i 1:2, Marseille s 1:3 i 2:0, Bayer s 4:1 i 0:1 te Bayern s 1:1 i 4:0. Sjajna predstava u Leverkusenu, kojom je potučen Bayer, otvorila je oči cijeloj nogometnoj Europi na Zenitov potencijal, a 4:0 protiv samog Bayerna, uvjerljivog njemačkog osvajača trostruke krune izazvala je oduševljenje nadahnutom brzopoteznom igrom Rusa, koja podsjeća na kijevski Dinamo iz sedamdesetih i osamdesetih. A kijevski Dinamo, da ne zaboravimo, najbolja je slavenska momčad u povijesti. Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

UEFA Cup 2007/08 Incredible Rangers reach finals in Italian style The current season has given us yet another unlikely final, as was the case in the previous three editions. The last "normal" final encounter saw Valencia defeat Marseille by 2-0 four years ago, while the following years produced improbable ties like CSKA Moscow vs Sporting Lisbon, Sevilla vs Middlesbrough and Sevilla vs Espanyol. This season's surprise packages are Glasgow Rangers and Zenit of St Petersburg. Rangers have delighted their fans by reaching their first European finals in 36 years, but the neutrals have been horrified by their ultradefensive, utterly negative style. It is no doubt ironic that in their semifinal tie against Fiorentina it was the Scots who built a stonewall in front of their goal rather than the Italians. Since reaching the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup. Rangers have tortured the audience with unwatchable tactics, having scored a mere five goals in eight games (0.6 per match), qualifying on one occasion on the away-goals rule and on another on penalties. Curiously, their previous finals appearance, in the 1972 Cup Winners' Cup, also confronted them with a Russian opposition. Back then they defeated Dinamo Moscow 3-2 in Barcelona, but Rangers' fans fought the police, earning the team a one-year suspension from Europe. Zenit on the other hand have gathered much support all around Europe with their fast combinations reminiscent of the great Dinamo Kiev of the mid-seventies and mid-eighties. Arshavin, Pogrebnyak, Zhiryanov, Anyukov, keeper Malafeyev and the Croatian central defender Krizanac have knocked out the Spanish League runners-up Villarreal, Olympique Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen and a powerful Bayern Munich before taking on Rangers at the City of Manchester stadium. Their games against Bayer in Leverkusen (4-1) and Bayern in St. Petersburg (4-0) will doubtlessly make it into the golden book of the Russian soccer. A victory for them on May 14th would be a just reward for their adventurous, attacking style. UEFA Cup semifinals Bayern vs Zenit 1-1 0-4 Rangers vs Fiorentina 0-0 0-0 (4-2 pen) Finals Rangers vs Zenit May 14th Path to finals Rangers (from Champions League) Round of 32 Panathinaikos 0-0 1-1 Round of 16 Werder 2-0 0-1 Quarterfinals Sporting Lisbon 0-0 2-0 Semifinals Fiorentina 0-0 0-0 (4-2 pen) Zenit Group stage: Alkmaar 1-1, Larissa 3-2, Nürnberg 2-2, Everton 0-1 Round of 32 Villarreal 1-0 1-2 Round of 16 Marseille 1-3 2-0 Quarterfinals: Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 0-1 Semifinals: Bayern Munich 1-1 4-0 Copyright Ozren Podnar & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football

UEFA Cup report ">Adios Getafe, only big guns remain After all, the UEFA Cup semifinal setup will be worthy of the illustrious tradition of this competition. After the elimination of Getafe, whose best-ever Spanish league standing was last year's nineth, only the teams worthy of European glory have remained. The big hit of the current edition are the Russian champions Zenit, who kicked out Villarreal, Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in the past three rounds. Led by the respectable Dutch coach in Dirk Advocaaat and a handful of Russian internationals, Zenit reached their first European semifinals, and it is possible that they have not said their last word although their next opposition are Bayern. The ease with which they demolished Leverkusen Bayern, by far the winningest team of the last four, had not seen a semifinal action since 2001, when they eliminated Real Madrid on the way to their fourth Champions League title. Despite a certain anonimity on the continental field after that achievement, Bayern are still one of the world soccer giants with shelves packed with silverware: four Champions Leagues, Cup Winners' Cup. UEFA Cup, Supercup and two Intercontinental Cups. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld says he sees Bayern in the finals, but after toiling so much against a modest side like Getafe, the Bavarians had better approach their next obstacle with more humility. Fiorentina and Rangers own just one European trophy, a Cup Winners' Cup each. The Italians won the first edition of the competition in 1961, beating who else but Rangers by 2-0 and 2-1. They were on the losing side in the following year's finals against Atlético Madrid and in 1990 they lost a UEFA Cup finals against Juventus. Their last appearance in the semifinal stage came eleven years ago when Ronaldo's and Figo's Barcelone proved too powerful for the Violets. Rangers collected their only continental honour in 1972, after losing two previous finals in 1961 and 1967. In the scandalous final held in Barcelona thousands of Rangers' fans fought with the police, which cost the club one year suspension. After that tarnished triumph, the Blues came close to a final game only once, when they finished second in the semifinal group of the 1992/93 Champions League, behind eventual winners Marseille. Since this year's finals is to be played in Glasgow, Rangers believe the trophy is destined to end up in their hands, but before that happens Fiorentina's in-form man, Adrian Mutu, will have to give his approval. UEFA Cup quarterfinals 2007/08 Bayer L. vs Zenit 1-4 1-0 Bayern vs Getafe 1-1 3-3 (a.e.t.) Fiorentina – PSV 1-1 2-0 Rangers – Sporting L. 0-0 2-0 Copyright Ozren Podnar and Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting