UEFA Champions League Opta Facts - 14-15 February

Lyon - APOEL

This is the first appearance of a Cypriot club in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
APOEL picked up more cards (19 yellows) than any other team who have qualified for the Last 16 this season.
The Cypriot champions allowed their opponents more shots on target against them (43) than any of the other teams who made the Last 16.
They also had fewer shots than any other side in the group stages of the Champions League this season (38).
Lyon have failed to win any of their last five Champions League knockout stage matches.
APOEL have only once before drawn a French team in European competition (excluding qualifiers) losing home and away to Paris St Germain in the 1993-94 Cup Winners Cup.
APOEL have only lost one of their last eight Champions League games, but have drawn five of the other seven.
APOEL won their first ever away match in Europe (in 1963), but have lost 25 and drawn nine of the 34 road trips since in all European competitions (excluding qualifiers).
Lyon have failed to score in five of their last seven Champions League matches.
The French side have lost just three of their last 20 Champions League home games, two against Bayern and one versus Real Madrid.
Five of APOEL's six Champions League goals this season have been scored by Brazilians Aílton Almeida (three) and Gustavo Manduca (two).
Bafetimbi Gomis has scored 56% of Lyon's Champions League goals this term (five out of nine), only three players have posted a higher percentage this season.

Bayer Leverkusen - Barcelona

Barcelona scored 20 goals in this season's Champions League Group Stage, equaling the all-time record set by Manchester United in 1998/99.
These sides have met on six occasions in European competition, Barcelona winning the last three encounters.
The Blaugrana allowed their opponents just seven shots on target in the Group Stage, fewer than any other team.
Barcelona have dominated possession in all of their 44 Champions League matches under Pep Guardiola's management.
Leverkusen have only kept six clean sheets in their last 42 Champions League matches.
Barcelona could become the first away team to win more than once at the BayArena in the Champions League.
Starting with his goal in the 2009 final, Lionel Messi has scored 27 goals in his last 28 Champions League starts, including six in five this season.
Bayer Leverkusen picked-up seven points from losing positions this season in the Champions League Group Stage, more than any other team.
Liverpool are the last side to dump Barcelona out at the last 16 stage of the Champions League, back in the 2006/07 season.

Zenit St Petersburg - Benfica

Zenit St Petersburg are the first Russian club from a city other than Moscow to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Zenit posted the worst conversion rate of those that qualified for the last 16, scoring with just 9% of their shots.
Benfica committed more fouls than any other the other team who have qualified for the Last 16 (101).
Zenit have lost just two of their last 30 home games in European competition, excluding qualifiers.
Their draw against APOEL on Matchday 5 ended a run of nine straight home wins for the Russian side in European competition.
Zenit have won two and drawn one of their three games against Portuguese opposition in Europe, including four points against Porto in this season's group stage.
Benfica were one of only three unbeaten teams in this season's Champions League Group Stage, alongside Spain's giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
None of the six knockout matches involving Benfica in the Champions League era have produced more than two goals.
Benfica have lost just one of eight European matches against Russian opposition.
Zenit's Portuguese winger Danny has created more chances for team mates than any other player in the Champions League this season (21).
Benfica's Nicolás Gaitán has the most assists in the 2011/12 Champions League (five).

AC Milan - Arsenal

In eight two-legged ties and one final (excluding the Super Cup), no Italian side have ever eliminated Arsenal in a knockout competition.
Arsenal have played Milan once in the Champions League before, drawing 0-0 at home and winning 2-0 away in the San Siro.
Arsenal have won both of their two Champions League games at the San Siro, beating Inter 5-1 and Milan 2-0.
Milan defeated Arsenal in the 1994 Super Cup, drawing 0-0 at Highbury and winning 2-0 at the San Siro.
Milan have been knocked out by English clubs in the Last 16 Stage of their last three Champions League participations and have failed to score in five of the six matches played in those ties.
Milan have won only four of their last 19 Champions League matches (W4 D9 L6), these wins have come against Auxerre (twice), Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov.
Arsenal had the most accurate shooting in the 2011/12 Group Stage, with 66% of their attempts on target.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has found the net in all of his four Champions League appearances this season. He scored a brace in his only club visit to the Emirates, with Barcelona in March 2010.
Arsenal midfielder Alex Song has made more tackles than any other player this season in the Champions League (33).

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13.02. (Mon) 20:45 Siena - Roma

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PROBABLE LINE-UPS

SIENA PegoloVitiello, Rossettini, Terzi, Del Grosso Giorgi, Vergassola, Gazzi, Brienza Destro, Calaio

ROMA Stekelenburg Rosi, Juan, Heinze, Taddei Simplicio, Viviani, Pjanic Totti Borini, Lamela

The status quo is in the offing for Siena, who are expected to name an unchanged lineup from the XI that battled to a valiant 0-0 draw with Serie A leaders Juventus last Sunday. However, Zejlko Brkic and Francesco Bolzoni still require around a further fortnight to regain full fitness.
Meanwhile, for the visitors, Roma, coach Luis Enrique is set to make just two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Catania midweek, as Simon Kjaer and Daniele De Rossi, who is suspended, are to be replaced by Gabriel Heinze and Federico Viviani.
However, Nicolas Burdisso and Pablo Osvaldo remain on the sidelines with injury, but should be back in contention by next week at the earliest.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Siena earned their first point in four meetings against Roma in the reverse fixture this season.

• The Tuscan side are winless in their last four games, scraping to just one win in 12.

• However, they are unbeaten in their last three home games, including the emphatic 4-0 drubbing of Lazio.

• Roma have scored in nine consecutive fixtures and boast Serie A's most prolific attack, with 36 goals scored.

• The Giallorossi have suffered just one defeat in their last nine matches.

• Roma shared points away from home for the first time on Wednesday in their 1-1 draw with Catania.

• These two sides drawn only twice in 15 meetings to date, but the Giallorossi lead the way with nine wins head-to-head.

Prediction

Despite bagging a deserved point against Juventus last week, Roma will pose an extremely different type of threat to that of the Old Lady, and it is their array of technically-gifted midfielders and forwards that may prove too much for the new boys to contain for 90 minutes.

Editor's Prediction

Siena 0-2 Roma

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