UEFA Cup: Marseille hopes for a `little miracle'

MARSEILLE, France(AP) Marseille has found its attacking form at the right time and is confident it can reach the UEFA Cup semifinals by overcoming a two-goal deficit when it hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday.

Marseille, which replaced Lyon at the top of the French league standings last week, has scored 16 goals in its last seven matches in all competitions and comes off a 4-1 victory over Grenoble.

"If we score in the first 20 minutes, it will give us the lift we need to score more," Brazilian defender Vitorino Hilton said.

Although Eric Gerets said it would take "a little miracle" to reverse the 2-0 first-leg loss in Ukraine, the Belgian coach believes his players can still qualify with the help of the home fans.

"If the Stade Velodrome is fully packed, it could disturb a team like Shakhtar," Gerets said, adding that set pieces could be a key part of the game. "With a strong presence in the box, it could be decisive. Statistics show that more and more goals are scored on set pieces."

Marseille, the only French club to have won the European Cup, will have history on its side against Shakhtar. The French team has never lost an UEFA Cup quarterfinal and has never been eliminated by a Ukrainian opponent on the European stage.

"We have the cards to reverse the situation and to achieve a feat," midfielder Mathieu Valbuena said. "It's difficult to explain, but I can feel it deep inside myself."

Marseille, which won the inaugural Champions League tournament in 1993 against AC Milan before losing two UEFA Cup finals in 1999 and 2004, will be without defender Julien Rodriguez, who picked up an ankle injury in a training ground incident with teammate Modeste M'Bami. Winger Boudewijn Zenden (calf) and midfielder Benoit Cheyrou (ankle) are doubtful with injuries and were to undergo fitness tests later Wednesday.

Shakhtar, which has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in a European competition, prepared for its trip to the south of France with a 3-0 win over Arsenal Kiev. Shakhtar is second in the Ukrainian league behind Dynamo, which hosts Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday in another UEFA Cup quarterfinal.

Updated April 15, 2009

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