GOODBYE UEFA CUP, HELLO EUROPA LEAGUE
First contested in 1971-72 after replacing the Fairs Cup, this will be the 38th and last UEFA Cup final before UEFA's second-tier tournament becomes the Europa League next season, a rebranded and expanded competition which European football's governing body hope will give it renewed impetus.
FINAL VENUE
The final will be staged at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium, home to Fenerbahce and the first Turkish venue to stage a UEFA Cup final. The stadium capacity is 53,586.
MAJOR HONOURS
SHAKHTAR DONETSK
European - None
Domestic - 4 Ukrainian titles, 6 Ukrainian Cups, 4 USSR Cups
WERDER BREMEN
European - UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1991-92
Domestic - 4 German titles, 5 German Cups
TEAM NEWS
Shakhtar midfielder Tomas Huebschman is suspended for the final.
Werder have a host of suspension and injury problems. Brazilian playmaker Diego is banned but would have probably missed the final anyway having suffered a torn muscle fibre in his thigh in training, while striker Hugo Almeida is also suspended.
Defender Naldo is facing a race to be fit following a groin injury while defender Per Mertesacker had ankle surgery following an injury sustained in the semi-final win over Hamburg and could miss the rest of the season. Strikers Claudio Pizarro (foot) and Markus Rosenberg (ankle) missed Werder's Bundesliga defeat on Saturday.
RESPECTIVE COACHES
SHAKHTAR DONETSK - Mircea Lucescu
The Romanian took charge five years ago and has guided the club to three league titles. Was previously in charge of the Romanian national team, Galatasaray, Besiktas and Inter Milan.
WERDER BREMEN - Thomas Schaaf
Schaaf spent 17 years as a defender with Werder and was part of the team that won the 1992 Cup Winners' Cup. He is the longest serving coach currently operating in the Bundesliga having joined Bremen in May 1999.
KEY QUOTES
"We feel confident about our ability to win the competition and we shall prove it on the pitch" - Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu.
"Weak teams don't reach the final stage of the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar have come a long way and deserved the right to play in the final" - Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.
"We will badly miss Diego in Istanbul" - Werder coach Thomas Schaaf.
"We have a big enou
