Grigoryan calls for final Zvezda push

Zvezda-2005 coach Aleksandr Grigoryan told his players that they should not be content with becoming the first Russian club to reach the UEFA Women's Cup final ahead of the first leg of their European decider against Germany's FCR 2001 Duisburg on Saturday.

Pedigree
While German pedigree in the competition is well documented – 1. FFC Frankfurt are the only three-time winners, while 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam triumphed in 2005 – the Russian challenge had previously faltered at the quarter-final stage before Zvezda's run this term. Grigoryan's side have already beaten Frankfurt, Brøndby IF and two-time champions Umeå IK in this edition, and are determined to claim another scalp in the main event.

'Beautiful football'
"I have told the players that just competing in the final isn't enough," said Grigoryan. "At the moment, Europe has just about heard of us; I want us to win so everyone can see us and remember us. My opposite number [Martina Voss] wants to see beautiful football but I only hope to see character from my team – and, of course, a win."

Long journey
Although this Zvezda's home leg, they have had to travel 12 hours by coach to Kazan as their usual stadium in Perm has artificial turf without the requisite licence for this season. "This is one of the minuses we have," said Grigoryan, referring to the journey. "It took some effort. Also, we've only been able to train on an artificial surface while the game is played on grass. One more negative is our lack of matches. Despite all these negatives I hope that there will be one huge plus – the result."

Title defence
Zvezda have played just once since the second leg of their semi-final against Umeå in early April, a 10-1 defeat of WFC Lada Tolyatti which got their Russian title defence off to the perfect start. Duisburg, in contrast, retain an outside chance of winning the Frauen-Bundesliga title with two rounds to play after warming up for their trip to Russia with a 4-0 victory against VfL Wolfsburg at the weekend.

Determined Voss
Voss brushed off suggestions that fatigue could affect the visitors on Saturday, particularly after a lengthy trip of their own. "We shouldn't speak about that as we're preparing to play in a UEFA Cup final," she said. "We're determined to play open and attractive football and won't think about any problems such as a busy schedule, the pitch or anything else. I hope to see the stadium full on Saturday."

Travelling support
"I don't know how many people will come but it won't be full," said Grigoryan. "Several buses of our fans will travel from Perm but it's difficult to predict if the locals will come to the stadium." The return leg will be played at the MSV Arena in Duisburg next Friday night (19.30CET).

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