Former winners of the event, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk have a golden opportunity to return to a European final on Monday when it comes time to face each other in the semi-final of the Europa League (9 p.m.), after finishing in cannonball their respective championships. The Milanese club had made a specialty of the C3 in the 1990s, when the competition was still called the UEFA Cup, with three trophies in 1991, 1994 and 1998. Shakhtar Donetsk, he had his heyday on the European scene in 2009, carried to the title by his Brazilians Luiz Adriano and Jadson.
The two formations can nourish the hope of reaching a new continental final, which the Interists have not known since their title in the Champions League in 2010, and the Shakhtar since 2009. The winner will face Sevilla defeating Manchester United Sunday night (2-1). If Inter seem favorite in this confrontation in Düsseldorf, Germany, Shakhtar has had an almost flawless season which requires us to be wary.
Cologne final in the sights
The Donetsk club crushed the Ukrainian championship, won with 23 points ahead of their big rival, Dynamo Kiev. And the Ukrainians made a strong impression in the round of 16 second leg, winning 3-0 against Wolfsburg, and in the quarter-final, winning 4-1 in a dry match against Basel.
Inter, for their part, have made almost no mistakes since the resumption of Serie A in mid-June, with 8 wins, three draws and only one loss, failing a small point behind the champion, Juventus. And the Lombard club has departed from two tough opponents, Getafe in the round of 16 (2-0) and Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter (2-1).
But one of those two great seasons will end on a bitter note on Monday. To reach the final which will be played next Friday in Cologne, the two clubs will have to rely on their best weapons, particularly offensives.
Against Basel, the Ukrainians appeared disciplined and creative. At the forefront of the attack, the Ukrainian international of Brazilian origin Junior Moraes is in great shape, scoring two goals in the eighth return and another in the quarter.
Italian coach Antonio Conte can count on Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. For his first season in Italy, the former Chelsea and Manchester United fit perfectly into the Milan squad. Author of 23 league goals, he is also very consistent in the Europa League: he has so far scored one goal in each of the four matches he has played in the competition ... Enough to reach the final?
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