FC BATE Borisov - FC Zenit St. Petersburg MATCH PRESS KIT Dinamo, Minsk Wednesday 5 November 2008 - 20.45CET Group H - Matchday 4 Contents 1 - Match background 7 - UEFA information 2 - Match facts 8 - Match-by-match lineups 3 - Squad list 9 - Competition facts 4 - Head coach 10 - Team facts 5 - Match officials 11 - Legend 6 - Domestic information This press kit includes information relating to this UEFA Champions League match. For more detailed factual information, and in-depth competition statistics, please refer to the matchweek press kit, which can be downloaded at: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/mediaservices/presskits/index.html Match background FC BATE Borisov were ten minutes away from securing a maiden victory in the UEFA Champions League group stage on Matchday 3 before Fatih Tekke earned FC Zenit St. Petersburg their first point in Group H. The teams renew their rivalry knowing that the prospect of obtaining one of the qualifying places has become more distant. • BATE had previously lost all six matches against Russian opposition in UEFA club competition but that statistic looked like changing at the Petrovsky Stadium thanks to half-time substitute Pavel Nekhaychik's cool finish after 52 minutes. The home team had earlier struck the woodwork twice and passed up a host of other opportunities, but finally drew level when Tekke evaded the BATE offside trap to shoot past Sergei Veremko. • The Belarussian debutants have two points, one more than Zenit who remain bottom of the section. Both teams are some way behind leaders Juventus and Real Madrid CF who have seven and six points respectively. • In their last home game, BATE assumed they were destined to pick up all three points as they hurled themselves at Juventus' back line and were rewarded with two goals in the opening 23 minutes. Sergei Kryvets and Igor Stasevich scored to underline to an exuberant crowd that the underdogs are no respecters of reputation. However Juventus refused to give up without a fight and, with a header followed by a low drive, Vincenzo Iaquinta brought the visitors level before the break. • A point might have been considered a poor return for BATE's early dominance but at least it got them off the mark in the section, having started with a 2-0 defeat in Madrid. In Russia on Matchday 2, Zenit slid to their second defeat as they followed up their narrow defeat in Turin – Alessandro Del Piero giving Juventus the points through a late free-kick – with a 2-1 home reverse against Los Merengues. • Coach Dick Advocaat's team were put on the back foot when defender Tomáš Hubočan put through his own net early on. The Russian champions' were rattled at that stage but gradually found their stride and when record signing Danny levelled midway through the opening period, Zenit appeared to be building the momentum to go on and dominate. However, Madrid's response was swift and deadly, Ruud van Nistelrooy taking advantage of more defensive uncertainty to ensure Bernd Schuster's team claimed the spoils. Last updated 03.11.2008 19:16:03CET www.uefa.com Match background 1 FC BATE Borisov - FC Zenit St. Petersburg Wednesday 5 November 2008 - 20.45 CET MATCH PRESS KIT Dinamo, Minsk • The game on Matchday 3 was the first time Zenit had faced Belarussian opposition in an official game while BATE had met Russian opponents on six previous occasions in European club competition. They had lost all six and moreover had only scored a single goal in those meetings. That came in their first of those six fixtures, a home game in the 1999/00 UEFA Cup qualifying round tie, but as FC Lokomotiv Moskva rattled in seven goals of their own that day, BATE's single strike was scarcely relevant. The away leg ended 5-0 to Lokomotiv to complete a 12-1 aggregate defeat for the Borisov club. • Heavy aggregate defeats also followed in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup second qualifying round against FC Krylya Sovetov Samara (4-0) and at the same stage of the same competition the following year, FC Rubin Kazan beating them 5-0 over the two games. BATE lost 2-0 in the home legs of both those ties. • Advocaat was in charge of the Netherlands team who twice defeated Belarus in the UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign. They won 3-0 in Eindhoven and 2-0 in Minsk. Zenit's Fernando Ricksen played in the Eindhoven game on 7 September 2002. • The other game in Group H on Matchday 3 pits Madrid against Juventus. Match facts BATE UEFA milestones • Sergei Kryvets' goal against Juventus on Matchday 2 was BATE's first in the UEFA Champions League proper. UEFA Champions League statistics • Five BATE players have appeared in all nine games, including qualifying: Vladimir Rzhevski, Aleksandr Yurevich, Dmitri Likhtarovich, Kryvets and Pavel Nekhaychik. • Gennadi Bliznyuk's goal in the second qualifying round, second leg against RSC Anderlecht was his tenth in UEFA club competition, equalling the record of Georgi Kondratyev for the most European goals scored by a Belarussian. It was Bliznyuk's seventh goal in UEFA Champions League qualifying as well – also a national record. • Likhtarovich has now played 43 matches in UEFA club competition for Belarussian clubs, another record. BATE assistant coaches Vadim Skripchenko (30 games) and Aleksandr Fedorovich (28) are third and fourth on the list respectively. FC Barcelona's Aleksandr Hleb is the Belarussian with most appearances in UEFA club competition having featured 64 times. Disciplinary information • BATE have no players suspended or within a booking of a ban. Latest domestic information • Friday 31 October: FC BATE Borisov 2-1 FC Torpedo Zhodino (Rodionov 4, Bliznyuk 25; Sheryakov 36) BATE completed the successful defence of their Vysshaya Liga title with an edgy display in Borisov, despite goals from Vitali Rodionov and Bliznyuk giving Viktor Goncharenko's side the ideal start. Andrei Sheryakov ensured an anxious second half for the home fans, yet BATE held their nerve to clinch their fifth Belarussian title with three games still to play. • "Everybody could see that it was a nervous performance," said BATE coach Goncharenko. "We won as our two forwards can make a goal out of nothing. Obviously I'd like to keep this united, high-quality squad together but I understand that this will be virtually impossible. Many of our guys will receive tempting offers. We'll try, but it will be hard to keep them. The majority have already won everything there is to win in Belarus." • Bliznyuk is the league's top scorer with 16 goals, two less than he scored last season – Rodionov is joint second after registering his 14th of the campaign, one goal short of his 2007 haul. • BATE had returned to domestic action following Matchday 3 by defeating FC Dinamo Brest 1-0 on 25 October. After the visitors had been reduced to ten men, Nekhaychik scored the only goal of the game 14 minutes from time. • BATE are now unbeaten in a club record 27 league matches, stretching back to the 2-1 defeat by already-relegated FK Minsk on the final day of last season – they have won 18 and drawn nine games this campaign. Last updated 03.11.2008 19:16:03CET www.uefa.com Match facts 2 FC BATE Borisov - FC Zenit St. Petersburg Wednesday 5 November 2008 - 20.45 CET MATCH PRESS KIT Dinamo, Minsk • Maksim Zhavnerchik has not appeared for the Belarussian titleholders since their defeat by Real Madrid CF and was removed from the squad prior to their draw with Juventus. "I consider him one of BATE's most promising players," said Goncharenko. "Unfortunately, he doesn't have the desire to develop his game. If someone does not work properly, and does that over a long period of time, I have to make radical decisions." • Goncharenko is yet to experience a Vysshaya Liga defeat with BATE having taken charge on 13 November 2007. The side did, however, lose 6-3 on aggregate against FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk in the Belarus Cup semi-finals in April. Injury news • Aleksandr Ermakovich – out since 9 August (knee) • Aleksandr Volodko – out since 31 October (ankle) • Ermakovich is nearing full fitness after resuming training, as is Volodko having been substituted after 16 minutes of the win against Torpedo. Miscellaneous • Maksim Skavysh turns 19 on 13 November. • Igor Stasevich and Anri Khagush recently took part in a charity project called Hurry To Make Good, visiting a mother of nine adopted children to present her with a television, a newspaper subscription and BATE souvenirs all paid for out of their own pockets. • Although Goncharenko's date of birth is widely quoted as 10 September 1977, he was born on 10 June 1977. The confusion arose after he lost his passport and, in the replacement, the official mistakenly entered 09 (September) as the month of his birth instead of 06 (June). • BATE play their home group games at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk, 65km away from Borisov, as their usual home ground has a capacity of only 5,000. Zenit UEFA milestones • Danny's strike against Real Madrid on Matchday 2 was Zenit's first in the competition proper. UEFA Champions League statistics • Tomáš Hubočan's fourth-minute own goal against Real Madrid was the second fastest in UEFA Champions League history. Scott Minto put through his own net in the third minute of SL Benfica's game against HJK Helsinki on 4 November 1998. • Zenit have won 29 corners to date, more than any other side. Disciplinary information • Zenit have no players suspended or within a booking of a ban.