Dynamo out to deepen Spartak despond

Yuri Semin has ordered his FC Dynamo Kyiv side to sharpen up their shooting as they look to build on a 4-1 first-leg win in the home decider against FC Spartak Moskva.

Moscow rout
The Ukrainian side routed their old Soviet rivals in the opening game of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie in Moscow, but Russian coach Semin was less than impressed by Dynamo's profligacy as they beat FC Arsenal Kyiv 2-0 at the weekend, and wants to see improvements tonight. "We have to be much better when finishing attacks," said the former striker, now 61. "I really hope we will take our chances against Spartak, but the most important thing is to play our own game. Everything else will come to us if that happens."

Bumper crowd
There are doubts as to whether defenders Goran Sabljić and Andriy Nesmachniy will play, while Carlos Corrêa and Oleh Gusev are definitely out. A big crowd is expected in Kiev and an indication as to how seriously Semin will be taking the second leg came on Saturday, when goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy was rested. "As far as I am concerned the score is 0-0," he said. "Spartak have changed their tactical scheme in the last two games, moving to a classic 4-4-2, and the coach there has been replaced, so all the players are eager to show any new manager what they can do, and we understand that."

Temporary appointment
For the moment, Spartak are playing under caretaker coach Igor Ledyakhov following the dismissal of Stanislav Cherchesov after the first leg. This will be the stand-in's first UEFA Champions League game, although fans in Moscow might not be expecting too much – his two games in charge so far have produced two 1-1 draws leave Spartak fourth in the Russian Premier-Liga, trailing leaders FC Rubin Kazan by nine points. Substitute Artem Dzyuba earned them a share of the spoils against FC Dinamo Moskva at the weekend with a 79th-minute strike.

Pavlyuchenko absent
Brazilian striker Welliton and Austrian international defender Martin Stranzl have not travelled to Kiev, while team captain Roman Pavlyuchenko is now back in Moscow too as he is expected to complete a move to English side Tottenham Hotspur FC in the coming days. Ledyakhov said: "Pavlyuchenko's absence will not be a big deal. He missed the last league match through injury, so he wouldn't have started in Kyiv anyway." The Dynamo game could prove to be Ledyakhov's last as the coach, with new general manager Valeri Karpin on the lookout for a permanent appointment.