Inter visit raises stakes for Dynamo

After a week in which FC Dynamo Kyiv were beaten 2-0 by FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup and held at home by FC Karpaty Lviv in the league, coach Valeri Gazzaev says they have "tremendous motivation" for the visit of FC Internazionale Milano. Dynamo are just a point ahead of Inter in a tight UEFA Champions League Group F, but José Mourinho does not see the game as decisive.

Valeri Gazzaev, Dynamo coach
Last week wasn't too successful for us but we have quickly forgotten recent failures. The team had a day off after the last league fixture. Now we are fully concentrated on the upcoming match and have tremendous motivation for it. The situation in our group impels us to play only for a win, since all four clubs still have almost equal chances to go through. I realise that our group is the toughest in the tournament but our aim remains the same: a berth in the knockout stage. Inter have much more experience than our young team does, however we proved our ability in the previous three matchdays. We don't have any mental barriers before games against big clubs like Inter. All teams have their weaknesses, and I hope we will find them in Inter's performance.

José Mourinho, Inter coach
This is not a decisive match because we still have to play against Barcelona and Kazan. However, it is very important for us. My plan for the game? Just to score one goal more than Dynamo. I don't analyse the possible permutations in our group. Now I am just thinking about how to beat Dynamo because [until after the game] they are our main rivals in the Champions League.

Weekend results
31/10/09 Dynamo 1-1 FC Karpaty Lviv
(Ninković 60; Zenjov 6)

• The draw ended Dynamo's six-match winning run in the Premier League though they are unbeaten in 21 games at home since losing 2-1 to FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League on 5 November 2008.

• Dynamo have scored in each of their last 27 league fixtures, since a 1-0 loss at FC Shakhtar Donetsk on 16 November 2008.

01/11/09 AS Livorno Calcio 0-2 Inter
(Milito 49, Maicon 80)

• With Juventus and UC Sampdoria both failing to win, Inter extended their lead at the Serie A summit to seven points – a record after eleven games since the division switched to three points for a win in 1994/95.

• Diego Milito's strike was his seventh in nine league appearances for Inter, and his 31st in 40 Serie A matches for the Nerazzurri and Genoa CFC.

Team news
Dynamo
Out: Badr El Kaddouri (ankle), Olexandr Shovkovskiy (stomach), Pape Diakhate (knee)
Doubtful: Andriy Nesmachniy (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Leandro Almeida, Gérson Magrão, Artem Milevskiy

• Ayila Yussuf has recovered from a thigh injury and trained normally on Tuesday.

Inter
Out: none
Doubtful: Thiago Motta (thigh), Wesley Sneijder (thigh), Sulley Muntari (heel), Cristian Chivu (thigh), Mario Balotelli (illness)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Cristian Chivu, Maicon

• Milito and Motta returned as second-half substitutes against Palermo yet while Milito subsequently started at Livorno, Motta is still struggling for fitness.

Background
• Dynamo will hope to produce another impressive home performance to match the 3-1 victory against Rubin Kazan in September. The Ukrainian side drew 2-2 at Inter on Matchday 3 and now lie second in the section, one point and two places above the Italian champions.

• Dynamo's most recent visit from Italian opposition brought a 4-1 home defeat by AS Roma in the 2007/08 group stage. Their solitary win in eight previous attempts was a 2-0 success against Roma in the 2004/05 group stage.

• Besides drawing 1-1 draw with Dynamo during the 2003/04 group stage, Inter have visited Ukraine on only one other occasion – for a 2-0 victory at FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2005/06 third qualifying round. Obafemi Martins and Adriano hit the second-half goals that set Inter on their way to a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

• Inter have won just one of their last six UEFA Champions League away matches and have not won in the competition since beating Anorthosis Famagusta FC 1-0 on 22 October 2008, a run of eight matches.

Did you know?
Andriy Shevchenko scored 14 times against Inter while at AC Milan including the goal in the abandoned 2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg.

For more background on the match in the official press kit,click here.