Dnipro make case for defence ahead of Europa final

By Toby Davis WARSAW (Reuters) - If Ukrainians Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk are going to shock holders Sevilla to win the Europa League they must find a way to blunt the competition's sharpest strike force, coach Myron Markevych said on Tuesday. Wednesday's final in Warsaw pitches a Dnipro side, whose resilient if unadventurous style has won them many matches but few admirers, against a free-scoring Sevilla who hope to lift the trophy for a record fourth time -- all in the space of nine years. Dnipro are clear outsiders. Their opponents have won 10 of their 14 games since the start of the group stage, losing once and scoring a competition-high 26 goals in the process. The Ukrainians, by contrast, have found the net just 13 times and won only six since they kicked off the group stage with a defeat by Inter Milan in September. Dnipro, however, have come this far by upsetting more fancied teams, not least Napoli in the semi-finals, and now their wizened coach is looking for the tactical blueprint that could deliver a maiden European trophy. "Sevilla are very good at attacking, they have very good forwards who create numbers in important moments. This is a headache for us," Markevych told a news conference on the eve of the showpiece finale at Warsaw's National Stadium. "But our defence, at least until today, are playing at a good level. It is going to be very important to neutralise their attacking players." Neutralising opponents has been a Dnipro speciality since the knockout stage began. They are rugged, hard-working, well-organised and seem to embody their historic roots that lie in Soviet era industry. But when it comes to winning matches when it matters they have proved masters of the Europa League's marathon format, having begun their campaign way back in August with a qualifying tie. Back then few would have tipped them to make it this far, not least their coach, who honestly admitted that he was not among the believers when they began their group stage campaign by taking one point from three games. Markevych, though, says Dnipro's appetite for glory has been whetted as the rounds have gone by. "It is true, I would not be honest if I said we had planned to play in the final," he said. "But you get more appetite when you start eating. When we won the game with Olympiakos (in the last 32) I started believing." (Editing by Tony Jimenez)