Tuesday, September 28, 2010

28.-29. 09.2010. UEFA - Champions League preview matches

FC Basel v Bayern Munich
Basel have lost their last three Champions League matches on home soil.
Bayern's last nine Champions League away games have seen a total of 38 goals scored at an average of 4.2 per match.
Basel have only ever played German teams in European competition four times, losing twice and drawing twice.
Bayern's only completed European tie against a Swiss side came in 1987 when they best Neuchatel Xamax 3-2 over two legs.
Bayern drew a Basel side in the 1962/63 Fairs Cup and after losing the first leg 0-3 at home, the Swiss side withdrew from the competition allowing Bayern to progress.
Thomas Müller created more chances from open play in the opening group games than any other player in the competition (7).
Both these sides dominated possession in their opening matches, Basel with 71% of the ball against Cluj and Bayern with 74% possession versus Roma.


Roma v CFR Cluj
Roma met Cluj in the 2008-09 Champions League group stages and both sides won their away matches.
Roma have not drawn any of their last 13 Champions League matches.
The Italian side have won their last three Champions league home matches since losing to Cluj in September 2008.
Both Cluj and Roma were dominated in their opening games in terms of possession with Cluj enjoying just 29% against Basel and Roma logging only 26% versus Bayern.
If Cluj beat Roma they will have equalled the highest number of wins by a Romanian side in a Champions League group.
Roma have lost their opening Champions League group game in six of the nine Groups (including 2nd Stage) that they have participated in.
Roma fired in all of their shots on target in the game against Bayern (excluding blocked attempts).
Cluj posted the worst passing accuracy of any team in the opening matches, completing just 67% of passes.


Chelsea v Ol. Marseille
Chelsea have never lost a home Champions League match against a French side, winning two and drawing two.
Chelsea played Marseille in the 1999-2000 Champions League with both games ending 1-0 to the home side.
Inter's win at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League last 16 back in March ended a run of 21 games without defeat at home for the Blues.
Marseille have played four Champions League matches in England and all of them have been decided by a one-goal margin - the last three ending 1-0. Their only win in England was back in October 2007 when Mathieu Valbuena scored the only goal of the game at Anfield.
Chelsea have lost none of their last 20 Champions League group Stage matches at home since defeat to Besiktas in October 2003.
Chelsea have kept 14 clean sheets in their last 17 Champions League Group Stage matches at Stamford Bridge.
Marseille have lost 13 and won just two of their last 17 Champions League Group Stage matches away from home.
The French side posted the best crossing accuracy in the opening set of matches finding a team-mate with 39% of their crosses.


Spartak Moscow v MSK Zilina
The Russians have lost six and drawn five of their last 11 Champions League games on home soil, the joint-worst run without a win in the competition with AEK Athens (1993-2006).
Spartak & Zilina have never met in European competition.
Spartak Moscow didn't manage a single shot on target in their Champions League opener, the only team not to do so. Nevertheless, they still managed to beat Marseille thanks to an own goal by Cesar Azpilicueta (1-0).
After losing 22 Champions League games in a row, Spartak have won their last two in the competition.
Spartak are one of only four teams to win all six matches in a single Champions League Group Stage (1995-96).
Zilina only hit the target with 28% of their shots and only Ajax (13%) and Spartak (0%) posted worse figures on the opening matchday.


Ajax v AC Milan
Ajax have only won one of the last 13 European matches against Italian opposition (1-0 vs Fiorentina in February 2009).
Ajax and Milan have played eight times in European competition with the Dutch side winning three, drawing one and losing four.
Ajax have lost their last three games against AC Milan and the last two by a 0-1 scoreline.
Two of the eight meetings between Ajax and Milan have been in the European Cup final - Milan won in 1969 while Ajax won the trophy in 1995.
The Italian side have not won any of their last three Champions League games against Dutch sides.
Three of the last four defeats Ajax have suffered at home in the Champions League have come against Italian sides.
Ajax's last home game in the Champions League came in 2005-06 at home against Milan's big rivals Inter and ended as a 2-2 draw.
Martin Stekelenburg made 13 saves in Ajax's opening match, more than any other goalkeeper.


Auxerre v Real Madrid
Auxerre have played six matches against Spanish sides in European competition winning two, drawing two and losing two.
Real Madrid have only won two of their last nine Champions league games against French sides.
Auxerre and Real Madrid have never met in European competition.
There have only been eight goals scored in Auxerre's seven Champions League home matches.
Real Madrid have kept just two clean sheets in their last 16 Champions League away game.
The Spanish side mustered 35 shots in their opening game against Ajax, more than any other team in the opening games.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired in 11 shots during Real Madrid's game against Ajax, the joint-most of any player on the opening Matchday.
Ireneusz Jelen of Auxerre was caught offside six times against Milan, more times than any other player on Match Day 1.


Partizan Belgrade v Arsenal
Arsenal's only previous encounter with a Serbian team was when they lost over two legs to Red Star Belgrade in the 1978-79 UEFA Cup.
Arsenal have won only one of their last nine Champions League away games (3-2 vs Standard Liège).
The Gunners have gone 12 Champions League games on the road without a clean sheet.
Partizan have drawn all three of their Champions League home matches.
Arsenal haven't won away from home in Europe against teams from any of the three countries they have to visit in this season's Champions League.
The Gunners scored six goals from just eight shots on target in their opening Champions League match.
Arsene Wenger's side's 6-0 win was the biggest ever victory on the opening match of a Champions League Group Stage.
Partizan committed 23 fouls in their opening match, more than any other team in the competition.


Sporting Braga v Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar have only won two of their eight European matches against Portuguese opposition and lost the last three in a row.
Shakhtar have only drawn one of their 15 Champions League away matches.
The Ukrainian side have won their last three Champions League games which is their best ever run in the competition.
Shakhtar have only ever kept one clean sheet away from home in 15 Champions League matches on the road, but that came in Portugal against Benfica.
Sporting Braga won 14 and drew one of their 15 league games at home in the Portuguese top flight last season, conceding only six goals along the way.
Braga won their two Champions League home qualifying matches without conceding a goal.
Braga have only won one of their last seven matches in European competition (excluding qualifiers).


Internazionale v Werder Bremen
Inter are unbeaten in their last seven Champions League games at the San Siro.
Inter's win over Bayern in the 2010 Champions League final ended a run of five games without a win against a German side.
Bremen and Inter have played four games in the Champions League with the two sides winning one game each and drawing the other two.
Werder have won just one of their last 14 Champions League away matches.
Inter have lost only two of their last 14 Champions League matches and both those defeats came away at Barcelona.
Rafael Benitez has only won one of the last six Champions League matches he's taken charge of, losing three times and drawing twice.
Bremen have only lost one of their last 11 matches in European competitions (excluding qualifiers, drawing the last three in a row.
Bremen have drawn eight and only lost one of their last 12 European matches (excluding qualifiers) away from home.
Bremen were the last German team to play away against Inter at the San Siro and they drew 1-1 in the 2008-09 Champions League.


Tottenham Hotspur v FC Twente
There have been just four goals scored in the last five meetings between Spurs and Dutch sides in European competition.
FC Twente have never beaten an English side in European competition (excluding qualifiers), drawing three and losing four.
Twente's last trip to London came in the Champions League qualifiers in 2008-09 when they lost 0-4 to Spurs‘ rivals Arsenal after losing 0-2 at home.
Spurs have only lost three out of 63 European ties (excluding qualifiers) at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham conceded just 12 goals at home in the 2009-10 Premier League, the joint-lowest tally in the division.
Twente have kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 European matches (excluding qualifiers).
Peter Crouch has scored nine goals in his last 11 Champions League starts.
Twente scored 43 fewer goals and conceded three more than 2nd placed Ajax in the Dutch league last season, yet still won the league by one point.


Hapoel Tel Aviv v Lyon
Hapoel Tel Aviv have won two and lost three of their five meetings with French teams in European football.
Lyon have conceded exactly one goal in each of their last five Champions League away games.
Lyon have won none of their last four Champions League away matches.
Hapoel have failed to score in four of their last five European matches (excluding qualifiers).
Lyon were the joint-top scorers in Ligue 1 last season away from home with 32 goals.
Three of the last four Champions League matches involving Lyon have ended with a 1-0 scoreline.
Three of the last four Champions League away games Lyon have played have ended as 0-1 defeats and the other a 1-1 draw.


Schalke 04 v Benfica
Benfica have only won two of the 18 away matches they have played in the Champions League
Benfica have won three and lost only one of their last five matches away from home in European competition.
Benfica have won eight of their last 11 matches in European competition.
Schalke have only won two of their last 10 European matches.
Schalke have won all three home European matches against Portuguese sides.
Benfica have never beaten a German team away from home in European competition in 18 attempts.
The Portuguese side are unbeaten in their last five clashes against German opposition though with two wins and three draws since they last tasted defeat.
Schalke posted the worst passing accuracy in the final third of the pitch on Matchday 1 connecting with just 45% of their attempted passes.


Valencia v Manchester United
Valencia have won none of their last five Champions League home matches.
Man Utd and Valencia have played four games against each other in the Champions League with one victory for the English champions and three draws. Both of their encounters at the Mestalla ended goalless.
The Spanish side did however beat Man Utd 2-1 on aggregate in the 1982-83 UEFA Cup.
Defeat to Bayern in their last away match ended a run of 16 matches without defeat on the road for Man Utd in the Champions League.
Man Utd have drawn five of their last seven Champions League matches against Spanish opposition, winning one and losing one.
Valencia scored four goals from just five shots on target in their opening Champions League match against Bursaspor.
Man Utd's defeat at Bayern in last season's Champions League quarter final ended a run of 16 games without defeat away from home and six away wins in a row.
United's last three away games in Spain all ended 0-0.
Man Utd have only ever won one of 18 European matches away from home against Spanish sides (against Deportivo La Coruna in April 2002).
Sir Alex Ferguson's side have failed to score in 10 of their last 14 away games in Spain.


Rangers v Bursaspor
Rangers have only been drawn against Turkish opposition twice, beating Ankaraguçu in both legs of the 1973-74 Cup Winners Cup and earning a draw and a defeat to Galatasaray in the 2000-01 Champions League.
Bursaspor's only match against Scottish opposition came in 1974-75 Cup Winners cup where they progressed 1-0 on aggregate.
Rangers have only won one of their last nine Champions League games at Ibrox and lost the last four in a row, conceding 13 goals in the process.
Bursaspor posted the worst crossing accuracy of any team on the opening Matchday, connecting with just 5.6% of their centres.
Bursaspor have never scored an away goal in a European match (excluding qualifiers).
Rangers have won none of their last 10 matches in European competition (excluding qualifiers).
Rangers have also won just one of their last nine matches in European competition at Ibrox (excluding qualifiers).
Rangers have failed to score in their last three matches in European competition.


Rubin Kazan v Barcelona
Rubin Kazan shocked the Catalan side last season by winning in the Camp Nou and earning a draw at home against Barcelona.
Barcelona are unbeaten away from home in European competition against Russian sides, drawing four and winning one of their five trips.
Barcelona completed 792 passes against Panathinaikos, more than any other team in the competition.
Lionel Messi fired in seven shots on target, more than any other player on the opening match day.
Barcelona completed 92% of their passes, the best rate on the opening Champions League matchday.
Barcelona have only won one and drawn seven of their last nine Champions League away matches - that run includes a 0-0 draw with Rubin Kazan.
Lionel Messi has scored nine goals in his last eight Champions League matches.
Barcelona allowed their opponents just one shot on the first matchday, a joint-competition low.


Panathinaikos v FC København
Panathinaikos have won only one of their last six Champions League home matches.
København have lost all five of the Champions league away matches.
The Greek side scored with their only shot in their opening Champions league game against Barcelona.
København have lost four of their last five away matches in Europe (excluding qualifiers).
Panathinaikos met København in the 2007-08 Europa League Group Stage and won 1-0 at home.
The Greeks only other tie against Danish opposition came in 1995-96 when they won 2-0 at home and lost 1-2 away to Aalborg in the Group Stage.
Panathinaikos managed just 100 successful passes on the opening matchday, fewer than any other team.
The Greek side's opening day defeat was the fourth time they have conceded five goals in a Champions League match and the second time the opposition was Barcelona.