Even the most accomplished soothsayer would be hard pressed to predict the outcome when Dinamo Moscow and Action 21 Charleroi face off in the Russian capital on Saturday in the second leg of the UEFA Futsal Cup Final.

The home side will fancy their chances, as the away goals rule means victory by a score of 1-0, 2-1 or 3-2 would be enough to claim the trophy. Boss Yuri Rudnev's men were 4-1 down at half-time in the away leg, and the trophy looked to be slipping from their grasp, but the Muscovites clawed their way back courtesy of a much-improved defensive display. They finally came away with only the narrowest of deficits to make good in the second meeting.

Rudnev is set to ring the changes for the return match. "It'll be another exceptionally tough game, but I'm happy enough with the going-in position. Losing by a single goal is a decent away performance," he observed.

Dinamo keeper Pavel Stepanov agreed: "We've lost the first match, but now all we need is a victory." Moscow lose Konstantin Maevski to suspension but Alexandre Rakhimov returns after sitting out a ban, and Rudnev is likely to restore Sergei Ivanov, omitted from the first leg in Belgium on fears the Terraflex surface might aggravate an old injury. "Your team has laid on a feast for all lovers of football," commented Russian Football Association President Vitalij Mutko after Dinamo sealed the domestic championship, and a noisy crowd at the Druschba hall will be urging their heroes to add European honours to their trophy haul.

Dismay recedes, confidence returns
"It'll be immensely tough in Moscow," Charleroi coach Sergio Benatti acknowledged, but the Belgians have recovered from their initial dismay at events in the second half last Saturday, and an air of quiet optimism has steadily permeated the camp over the course of the week. "4-3 is a decent result, no matter what anyone says. Obviously we'd rather have won 4 -1, but who knows: if we'd been three goals up, we might not have taken the return seriously enough. As it is, we know we have to be wide awake right from the start," keeper Luca Cragnaz told Belgian daily La Dernière Heure. Cragnaz is unlikely to feature though, with Brazilian team-mate Eder Fehrmann poised to get the nod.

The Charleroi squad arrived in the Russian capital on Thursday lunchtime and set up camp some 25 kilometres from the city centre. The Belgians are desperate to claim their first European title after losing out in both the 2002 and 2003 Finals. "I'm fed up of going home as worthy runners-up. It's time we won the trophy," Cragnaz declared. The Belgians were boosted by the news that key player Kelson should be fit after limping off injured in the first match.

The teams are not the only participants looking forward to Saturday's match. A few weeks ago, 45-year-old referee Pedro Galán Nieto could hardly have dreamed he would round off his career by taking charge of the UEFA Futsal Cup Final. It had appeared highly likely a team from his Spanish homeland would reach the Final, thus removing him from contention. But in the event, Galán Nieto is poised to add another highlight to a long and illustrious career.

"It's the kind of game every official wants to referee. It's the last of my career, and there couldn't be a better way to finish," Galán Nieto told sports daily Marca. "I'm delighted Spanish futsal is to make an appearance in the Final after all."