Gerets gearing up for 'dangerous' Shakhtar

Erik Gerets is expecting "the most complicated game of the season" when his Olympique de Marseille side welcome FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday, the French club hoping to steer a course to the UEFA Cup semi-finals despite having their vessel seriously holed in Ukraine last week.

First-leg deficit
Shakhtar arrive in the Mediterranean port city boasting a 2-0 lead from the first leg and threatening to jettison their opponents from the UEFA Cup last eight for the first time in their history. That may strike some as the kind of nail-biting situation usually tailor-made for OM, who reached this far courtesy of a penalty shoot-out triumph and an extra-time winner in their previous two rounds, but Gerets is extremely wary of the task ahead. "This risks being the most complicated game of the season," he said. "Everyone will have to transcend their usual level by ten or 15 per cent to have any chance of going through."

Fitness doubts
The home side's prospects could well depend on the fitness of Benoît Cheyrou and Boudewijn Zenden, who are suffering from ankle and thigh complaints respectively. Midfielder Karim Ziani (thigh) and centre-back Julien Rodriguez (ankle) are definitely sidelined, however. "To some extent, I'll have to grant more freedom to the forwards than usual," added Gerets. "We mustn't forget that Shakhtar are a dangerous side with players capable of making the difference on the counter, but the issue will be finding the right balance."

Fan contribution
At least confidence ought to be soaring, after the Stade Vélodrome side rose to the Ligue 1 summit on Sunday courtesy of a 4-1 home win over Grenoble Foot 38, their seventh domestic success in nine outings. Les Minots are chasing their first league crown since 1991/92, but Gerets urged supporters to momentarily put the French title race to one side. "As always, we're lucky enough we have such great fans," he explained. "We have to try to take advantage of that. We hope to thrill the crowd, so I hope they come to encourage us."

Last-four opponents
The supporters may also be secretly praying eternal rivals Paris Saint-Germain FC prevail at FC Dynamo Kyiv to open the door to a mouthwatering last-four showdown, but Shakhtar have just as much invested in reaching their first European semi-final and a potential all-Ukrainian affair. A daunting 15 points behind Premier League leaders Dynamo despite Sunday's 3-0 victory over FC Arsenal Kyiv, Mircea Lucescu's men know the UEFA Cup offers a magnificent chance to restore pride – not that their Romanian trainer is looking further forward than the second leg.

'Difficult game'
"I know we're 2-0 up but it's going to be a difficult game, like all European games are," said the 63-year-old, who looks set to replace suspended centre-back Mykola Ischenko with Olexandr Kucher, while Igor Duljaj has recovered from a hamstring injury. "We need to start well and stay concentrated because we're up against a good team, the French league leaders, and there'll be pride at stake. That's why I wish we'd scored more goals at home. We'll try to play how we did there and hopefully get the same outcome."