Group E: Borisov v FC Sheriff Preview - 7M sport

Group E: Borisov v FC Sheriff Preview



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Posted Thursday, November 04, 2010 by ESPN

BATE Borisov did not have to dig too deep to defeat a team boasting a 56-year-old in their ranks just over a week ago.

But the Europa League Group E leaders will expect a much sterner test when they return to European action against FC Sheriff on Thursday night.

The Belarus top flight may not be the pinnacle of European football, but Dinamo Brest stretched the point last week when they fielded their assistant manager Yuri Pudishev against league leaders BATE.

Pudishev, a man whose best days in the game came when he won the Soviet Union championship with Dynamo Minsk way back in 1982, made a late cameo in the game which BATE won 2-0 to remain comfortably on course to retain their league title for the fifth successive season.

BATE's exploits in Belarus over the past few years are now being translated to eye-catching results on the European stage, with Viktor Goncharenko's men well on course to be playing in a UEFA competition after Christmas for the first time in their history.

A 1-0 win over FC Sheriff in Moldova last time out made it three games unbeaten in the group phase.

They lead the way in Group E by three points from Dynamo Kiev after two wins and one draw, while AZ Alkmaar are third on three points and Moldovan outfit Sheriff, with one win in three, prop up the rest.

The return fixture against Sheriff provides BATE with the opportunity to progress, with a win for BATE coupled with three points for Dynamo against AZ set to confirm the Belarusian side in the round of 32.

Goncharenko admits the prospect of sealing a place in the next round with games to spare is a huge spur for his team.

"As always, we are going into a Europa League game in a good mood," he said.

"There is always good motivation for this tournament but, given that there is a real chance to get out of the group stage, this motivation is doubled."

Like BATE, Sheriff are also the defending multiple champions in their homeland, and could do their hopes of reaching the next round the power of good with victory tomorrow night.

But those hopes are slim for a side without an away win in Europe for nine matches dating back to August 2009, although Sheriff coach Andrei Sosnitski insists there is little to choose between the sides.

"The similarities between the Sheriff and Bate are, of course, obvious," he said.

"Both teams represent cities with a 150,000 population, both play in predominantly yellow, both are the leaders and persistent champions of their countries in recent years, and rather successfully play in European competition.

"Finally, at the helm of both clubs are motivated managers who know how to put their clubs to work."



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