AC Sparta Praha V Arsenal FC PRESS KIT

AC Sparta Praha v Arsenal FC PRESS KIT

Sparta Stadium, Prague Tuesday, 18 October 2005 - 20:45 CET Group B - Matchday 3

AC Sparta Praha go into Matchday 3 looking for their first win in this season's competition, after a home draw with AFC Ajax and a single-goal defeat by FC Thun in Berne. Arsenal FC visit the Czech Republic having won their opening two Group B matches at home against Thun and at Ajax by the same 2-1 scoreline.

Previous meeting •The clubs have been drawn together once before, in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage, with Arsenal winning both ties. On 12 September 2000, Arsenal triumphed at Sparta with the only goal of the game scored by Sylvinho after 32 minutes.

•In the return at Highbury, Arsenal won 4-2 with Ray Parlour and Lauren on target inside eight minutes, and Lee Dixon adding another before Vladimír Labant's penalty made it 3-1 at the interval. Nwankwo Kanu registered Arsenal's fourth while Tomáš Rosický rounded off the scoring in added time. The victory helped Arsenal to win Group B, with Sparta finishing at the foot of the table.

•The ties are Arsenal's only previous meeting with Czech opposition in UEFA competition.

Two other English ties •Sparta have played English teams in the past two UEFA Champions League seasons - but failed to win either home game. In the 2003/04 campaign, Chelsea FC came to Prague and prevailed 1-0 on the opening Matchday with an 85th-minute goal from William Gallas. Both sides made the knockout stage, with Chelsea topping the group and Sparta in second place, having drawn 0-0 in the return fixture in London.

•Last term, Manchester United FC travelled to Sparta and drew 0-0. The result left Sparta with a home record of two defeats and a draw against English clubs in the UEFA Champions League, and without a goal in the three matches. United beat Sparta 4-1 in the Old Trafford return.

Mixed fortunes previously •Prior to the UEFA Champions League ties in 2000/01, 2003/04 and 2004/05, Sparta had twice encountered English opponents in UEFA competition. In the 1964/65 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round, Sparta, under their former name of TJ Spartak Praha Sokolovo, lost 2-0 at West Ham United FC and won 2-1 at home, going out 3-2 on aggregate to the eventual victors. •Sparta, now known as TJ Sparta CKD Praha, fared better in the 1983 UEFA Cup third round, triumphing 3-2 at Watford FC before a 4-0 home success earned a 7-2 overall victory.

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Team facts: Sparta •Sparta are involved in the UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. The Czech side advanced to the second group stage on two occasions, but the 2003/04 season provided them with their first trip into the knockout stages although they would lose 4-1 on aggregate to AC Milan. •The Czech side failed to qualify for the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League following their away goals exit to Belgian side KRC Genk. Attempting to overcome a 2-0 deficit from the opening leg, the Czechs won 4-2 at home with Karel Poborský (56), Jirí Jarošík (58, 64) and Pavel Mareš( 84) on target, but the visitors were to advance to compete in the group stage for the first time.

•Sparta ’s best return in UEFA club competitions came in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup where they advanced to the semi-finals only to exit 2-0 on aggregate to AC Milan.

•Sparta advanced to directly to the group stage having finished the 2004/05 season as Czech champions by eleven points from SK Slavia Praha and FK Teplice.

•The Czech champions opened the season with a 1-1 draw at the Letná stadium, but it looked like they had secured all three points until Wesley Sneijder’s stoppage time equaliser. Earlier substitute Miroslav Matušovič had put Sparta ahead after 66 minutes. But Sparta lost on their travels on Matchday 2, losing 10 to FC Thun at the Stade de Suisse in Berne – again a goal late in the game denied the Czechs as Selver Hodzic netted for the Swiss side one minute from time. • Unfortunately for Sparta, Thierry Henry made a spectacular return from injury to score both goals as Arsenal FC recorded a third successive victory in the competition by winning 20 in Prague. Henry came off the bench for the injured José Antonio Reyes to score after 21 and 74 minutes. The defeat leaves Sparta winless after three matches in the group stage.

• Prior to Matchday 4, the Czech side had played 57 matches in the UEFA Champions League winning 14, drawing 14 and losing 29. In that time, Sparta have scored 60 goals and conceded 87. • Overall, the Czech side have played 173 games in UEFA club competitions, winning 72, drawing 36 and losing 65 times with 261 goals scored and 228 conceded.

Team facts: Arsenal • Arsenal are making their eighth successive attempt at winning the UEFA Champions League with their best performance to date being two quarterfinal appearances in the competition during the 2000/01 and 2003/04 seasons. On the first occasion, the Gunners lost on away goals to Valencia CF after the two sides shared four goals, while more recently, Chelsea FC denied them a place in the last four with a 32 aggregate success that included a 21 victory at Highbury.

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• To date, Arsenal have never advanced beyond the quarterfinal stage in either the UEFA Champions League or the European Champion Clubs’ Cup although they have been more successful in both the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup. The London club have played in three UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup finals, triumphing in the 1993/94 season when they overcame Parma FC 10 thanks to Alan Smith’s 22ndminute goal. The other finals ended in narrow defeats by Valencia CF and Real Zaragoza in the 1979/80 and 1994/95 seasons respectively. Following their elimination from the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League at the end of the group stage, Arsenal advanced to the UEFA Cup final only to lose on penalties to Galatasaray SK at Copenhagen’s Parken stadium. • Arsenal trailed Chelsea by 12 points in the English Premiership, finishing second ahead of Manchester United by a further six points. The secondplaced finish provided Arsenal with an automatic spot in the group stage, extending their sequence of never having played a qualifying round match in the competition. • A goal deep into addedtime from Dennis Bergkamp saved tenman Arsenal’s blushes as the English side denied FC Thun a famous draw on their UEFA Champions League debut at Highbury on Matchday 1. The Dutch striker, a 73rdminute substitute, battled through the heart of the Swiss team's defence with the final whistle approaching, coolly slotting to Eldin Jakupovic's left, to earn Arsenal a hardfought victory. Until then, Nelson Ferreira's 53rdminute lob looked to have given Thun a share of the spoils, after Gilberto had broken the deadlock two minutes earlier, following Robin van Persie's dismissal on the stroke of halftime. • Goals from Fredrik Ljungberg and Robert Pirès earned Arsenal an impressive 21 win at AFC Ajax on Matchday 2. Ljungberg put the English side in front as early as the second minute, and when Pirès doubled the lead from the penalty spot midway through the second half the three points looked assured. Markus Rosenberg pulled a goal back almost immediately, but Arsène Wenger's team survived the final 19 minutes to make it two wins from two.

• The Londonbased side made it three wins from three as Thierry Henry made a spectacular return from injury to score both goals as Arsenal won 20 away to AC Sparta Praha on Matchday 3. Henry came off the bench for the injured José Antonio Reyes to score after 21 and 74 minutes. • To date, the Gunners have played 71 matches in the UEFA Champions League, winning 30, drawing 19 and losing 21. In that time, Arsenal have scored 101 goals and conceded 83. • Overall, Arsenal have played 135 matches in UEFA club competitions with 63 wins, 36 draws and 36 losses. In those matches, they have scored 217 times while conceding 147 goals.

Match facts: Sparta v Arsenal Sparta key facts

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• Sparta are involved in the UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. The Czech side advanced to the second group stage on two occasions, but the 2003/04 campaign provided them with their first trip into the knockout stages although they lost 41 on aggregate to AC Milan.

• The Czech side failed to qualify for the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League following their away goals exit to Belgian outfit KRC Genk. Attempting to overcome a 20 deficit from the opening leg, Sparta won 42 at home with Karel Poborský (56), Jirí Jarošík (58, 64) and Pavel Mareš (84) on target, but the visitors were to advance to compete in the group stage for the first time.

• Sparta advanced directly to the group stage having finished the 2004/05 season as Czech champions, eleven points clear of SK Slavia Praha and FK Teplice. • The Czech champions opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 11 draw at the Letná stadium, but it looked like they had secured all three points until Wesley Sneijder’s addedtime equaliser. Earlier, substitute Miroslav Matušovič had put Sparta ahead after 66 minutes. But Sparta lost on their travels on Matchday 2, losing 1 0 to FC Thun at the Stade de Suisse in Berne – again a goal late in the game denied the Czechs as Selver Hodzic scored for the Swiss side one minute from time.

• Sparta’s best return in UEFA club competition came in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup where they advanced to the semifinals only to exit 20 on aggregate to AC Milan.

• Prior to Matchday 3, the Czech side had played 56 matches in the UEFA Champions League winning 14 (25 per cent), drawing 14 (25 per cent) and losing 28 (50 per cent). In that time, Sparta have scored 60 goals and conceded 85.

• Sparta ended a run of four straight defeats, including their UEFA Champions League reverse against FC Thun, when they defeated FK Chmel Blšany 52 on Saturday. It was their fifth successive victory against Blšany, who have earned only one point from their seven previous visits to the Letná, a 11 draw in September 2002.

• Sparta scored more than two goals for the first time this season as they scored only eight times in their previous eight games under the more defensivelyminded Jaroslav Hřebík. • Martin Petráš, the Slovakian defender and Sparta captain, scored for the first time this season as did Miroslav Matušovič. • Libor Došek scored his first goal for Sparta and his second this season as he also scored for FC Slovan Liberec before his transfer. • It is the biggest margin of victory for Sparta since August 2004 when they defeated SFC Opava 51. • But goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek was unable to keep a clean sheet, of which Sparta have had only one this season, in the game against newcomers FC Vysočina Jihlava.

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• New coach Stanislav Griga returned to the Letná stadium for the first time in seven months as he lost 21 there as head coach of Liberec last March. Griga scored 120 goals in 221 league games for Sparta before joining Feyenoord in 1989. Arsenal key facts • Arsenal are making their eighth successive attempt at winning the UEFA Champions League with their best performance to date being two quarterfinal appearances in the competition during the 2000/01 and 2003/04 seasons. On the first occasion, the Gunners lost on away goals to Valencia CF after the two sides shared four goals, while more recently, Chelsea FC denied them a place in the last four with a 32 aggregate success that included a 21 victory at Highbury. • Arsenal trailed Chelsea by 12 points in the English Premiership, finishing second ahead of Manchester United by a further six points. The secondplaced finish provided Arsenal with an automatic spot in the group stage, extending their sequence of never having played a qualifying round match in the competition.

• To date, the Gunners have played 70 matches in the competition, winning 30, drawing 19 and losing 21. In that time, Arsenal have scored 101 goals and conceded 83.

• Arsenal FC captain Thierry Henry is on the 30man shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. The winner is announced on 19 December, and the Frenchman will hope to go one better than in the 2003 and 2004 polls, when he finished as runnerup to Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho respectively.

• Henry was celebrating FIFA World Cup qualification as France finished top of their group to book a place in Germany 2006. The 28yearold, currently injured, sat out his country's matches against Switzerland and Cyprus on 8 and 12 October. • Ivory Coast duo Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué helped their nation reach the World Cup for the first time. The 31 victory over Sudan, coupled with Cameroon's failure to defeat Egypt, ensured their place at the finals in Germany. • Other Arsenal players whose countries achieved qualification include Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole (England), Robin van Persie (Netherlands) and Fredrik Ljungberg (Sweden). José Antonio Reyes (Spain) and Philippe Senderos (Switzerland) must endure a playoff if they are to reach the finals.

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• Highbury old boy Nwankwo Kanu scored his first goal for over a year against the Gunners on 15 October. He found the net for West Bromwich Albion FC as they defeated Arsenal 21. • Kanu's goal was the first conceded by Arsenal in 336 minutes of Premiership action. • Arsenal have taken just one point from four away matches in the Premiership this season. They are now 14 points behind league leaders Chelsea FC.

• Leftback Gaël Clichy made his 50th appearance for Arsenal against West Brom. The young Frenchman deputised for the injured Ashley Cole. • England defender Cole is currently out with a stress fracture of the foot, sustained against Birmingham City FC on 2 October. He is expected to spend a further six weeks on the sidelines. • Also out for six weeks is Aleksandr Hleb. The midfielder, a summer signing from VfB Stuttgart, damaged his knee on international duty for Belarus.

• Dennis Bergkamp made his 400th appearance for the club on 15 October. The 36 yearold celebrated the landmark by captaining the side. He has spent a decade at Highbury since joining from FC Internazionale Milano in 1995.

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All-time statistics Head-to-head record Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 12.09.2000 UCL GS1 AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-1 Prague 25.10.2000 UCL GS1 Arsenal FC - AC Sparta Praha 4-2 London 18.10.2005 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-2 Prague Overall record Pld W D L GF GA AC Sparta Praha 3 0 0 3 2 7 Arsenal FC 3 3 0 0 7 2

Home team's record versus clubs from the away team's country Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 25.11.1964 UCWC R1 West Ham United FC - AC Sparta Praha 2-0 London 09.12.1964 UCWC R1 AC Sparta Praha - West Ham United FC 2-1 Prague 23.11.1983 UCUP R3 Watford FC - AC Sparta Praha 2-3 Watford 07.12.1983 UCUP R3 AC Sparta Praha - Watford FC 4-0 12.09.2000 UCL GS1 AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-1 Prague 25.10.2000 UCL GS1 Arsenal FC - AC Sparta Praha 4-2 London 16.09.2003 UCL GS1 AC Sparta Praha - Chelsea FC 0-1 Prague 26.11.2003 UCL GS1 Chelsea FC - AC Sparta Praha 0-0 London 19.10.2004 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Manchester United FC 0-0 Prague 03.11.2004 UCL GS Manchester United FC - AC Sparta Praha 4-1 Manchester 18.10.2005 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-2 Prague Overall record Pld W D L GF GA AC Sparta Praha 11 3 2 6 12 17

Away team's record versus clubs from the home team's country Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 12.09.2000 UCL GS1 AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-1 Prague 25.10.2000 UCL GS1 Arsenal FC - AC Sparta Praha 4-2 London 18.10.2005 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-2 Prague Overall record Pld W D L GF GA Arsenal FC 3 3 0 0 7 2

UEFA club competition record AC Sparta Praha Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 117 44 27 46 154 163 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 30 15 5 10 68 32 UEFA Cup 26 13 4 9 39 33

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UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 173 72 36 65 261 228 Arsenal FC Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 81 36 20 25 124 93 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 27 15 11 1 48 20 UEFA Cup 25 12 4 9 45 32 UEFA Super Cup 2 0 1 1 0 2 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 135 63 36 36 217 147

UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only) club record AC Sparta Praha Pld W D L GF GA UEFA Champions League 57 14 14 29 60 87 Arsenal FC Pld W D L GF GA UEFA Champions League 71 31 19 21 103 83

KEY: All-time statistics Comp. - Competition, Res - Result Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for, GA - Goals against (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup) (NOTE: For matches in the UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only) club record, the fixtures played in the 1992/93 and 1993/94 first and second rounds are included in the statistics calculation) Current club names used for all clubs listed in these tables Goals totals include the outcome of disciplinary decisions (eg. match forfeits when a 3-0 result is determined. Goals totals do not include goals scored from the penalty mark during a penalty shoot-out.. ECCC: European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA AP: Appearances QR2: Second qualifying round Champions League : Final QR3: Third qualifying round UCUP: UEFA Cup GS: Group stage R1: First round UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup GS1: First group stage R2: Second round SCUP: UEFA Super Cup GS2: Second group stage R3: Third round UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup PR: Preliminary round R4: Fourth round EURO: UEFA European Football Championship QF: Quarter-finals SF: Semi-finals WC: FIFA World Cup QR: Qualifying round 1/8: Eighth-finals QR1: First qualifying round 1/16: Sixteenth-finals

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Squad list AC Sparta Praha Current Season All-time UCLQ1 UCL2 League UCL3 UEFA4 No. Player Nat. DoB Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 29 JaromÃr BlaÅ¾ek CZE 29.12.72 - - 3 - 8 - 22 - 36 - 30 David BiÄ•Ãk CZE 06.04.81 ------31 TomÃ¡Å¡ Grigar CZE 01.02.83 - - - - 1 - - - - - Defenders 4 Pavel Pergl CZE 14.11.77 - - 1 - 4 - 12 - 16 - 11 Adam PetrouÅ¡ CZE 19.09.77 - - 2 - 7 - 2 - 47 4 14 LuboÅ¡ LouÄ•ka CZE 25.08.82 - - - - 1 - - - - - 15 Petr LukÃ¡Å¡ CZE 24.04.78 - - 2 - 9 - 2 - 25 1 19 Martin PetrÃ¡Å¡ SVK 02.11.79 - - 3 - 7 1 8 - 16 - 20 ZdenÄ›k PospÄ›ch CZE 14.12.78 - - 3 - 9 - 3 - 7 - 22 Å tÄ›pÃ¡n KuÄ•era CZE 11.06.84 ------23 Michal Kadlec CZE 13.12.84 - - 3 - 9 - 3 - 4 - 27 Jan Å imÅ¯nek CZE 20.02.87 ------Midfielders 2 Martin HaÅ¡ek CZE 11.10.69 - - 1 - 8 - 25 - 35 - 3 Ladislav VoleÅ¡Ã¡k CZE 07.04.84 ------6 TomÃ¡Å¡ Sivok CZE 15.09.83 - - 2 - 5 2 10 - 16 1 7 LukÃ¡Å¡ Zelenka CZE 05.10.79 - - 3 - 8 3 26 2 35 4 13 OndÅ™ej SedlÃ¡Ä•ek CZE 30.09.86 ------16 Jan Å imÃ¡k CZE 13.10.78 ------16 - 17 - 18 Karol Kisel SVK 15.03.77 - - 3 - 9 1 3 - 16 - 21 TomÃ¡Å¡ PolÃ¡Ä•ek CZE 29.08.80 - - 3 - 5 2 3 - 3 - 24 ZdenÄ›k Volek CZE 12.04.85 ------25 Miroslav KrÃ¡l CZE 10.01.86 ------Forwards 5 OndÅ™ej Honka CZE 20.04.86 ------9 Libor DoÅ¡ek CZE 24.04.78 - - 3 - 8 1 7 2 32 8 10 Miroslav SlepiÄ•ka CZE 10.11.81 - - 3 - 6 - 3 - 21 3 12 OndÅ™ej HerzÃ¡n CZE 03.03.81 - - 1 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 17 OndÅ™ej BÃro CZE 28.01.86 ------26 JiÅ™Ã JeslÃnek CZE 30.09.87 - - - - 1 - - - - - 28 Miroslav MatuÅ¡oviÄ• CZE 02.11.80 - - 2 1 9 1 2 1 6 1 Coach Stanislav Griga SVK 04.11.61 - - 1 - - - 1 - 11 -

KEY: Squad list Squad list is ordered by position and then numerically No - Number, Nat. - Nationality DoB - Date of birth, Pld - Matches played, Gls - Goals 1 - UCLQ: Total UEFA Champions League appearances in the qualifying rounds only 2 - UCL: Total UEFA Champions League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday 3 - UCL: Total appearances in the UEFA Champions League from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition) 4 - UEFA: Total appearances in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup)

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Squad list Arsenal FC Current Season All-time UCLQ1 UCL2 League UCL3 UEFA4 No. Player Nat. DoB Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Jens Lehmann GER 10.11.69 - - 1 - 8 - 42 - 78 - 21 Mart Poom EST 03.02.72 ------2 - 24 Manuel Almunia ESP 19.05.77 - - 2 - - - 3 - 3 - 39 Mark Howard ENG 21.09.86 ------40 Michael Jordan ENG 07.04.86 ------42 Vito Mannone ITA 02.03.88 ------Defenders 3 Ashley Cole ENG 20.12.80 - - 2 - 7 - 44 1 44 1 12 Lauren CMR 19.01.77 - - 3 - 8 - 50 1 69 2 18 Pascal Cygan FRA 29.04.74 - - 2 - 2 2 24 - 29 - 20 Philippe Senderos SUI 14.02.85 - - - - 3 1 1 - 3 - 22 GaÃ«l Clichy FRA 26.07.85 - - 2 - 3 - 5 - 5 - 23 Sol Campbell ENG 18.09.74 - - 2 - 3 2 35 - 37 - 27 Emmanuel EbouÃ© CIV 04.06.83 - - 1 - 1 - 1 - 8 - 28 Kolo TourÃ© CIV 19.03.81 - - 3 - 8 - 28 1 28 1 34 Matthew Connolly ENG 24.09.87 ------37 Ryan Garry ENG 29.09.83 ------38 Kerrea Gilbert ENG 28.02.87 ------Midfielders 7 Robert PirÃ¨s FRA 29.10.73 - - 3 1 6 - 65 12 89 15 8 Fredrik Ljungberg SWE 16.04.77 - - 2 1 6 - 53 13 75 15 13 Aleksandr Hleb BLS 01.05.81 - - 2 - 7 - 10 - 35 4 15 Cesc Fabregas ESP 04.05.87 - - 3 - 8 - 8 1 8 1 16 Matthieu Flamini FRA 07.03.84 - - 2 - 7 - 6 - 15 - 17 Alexandre Song CMR 09.09.87 - - - - 1 - - - - - 19 Gilberto BRA 07.10.76 - - 2 1 7 - 23 3 23 3 29 Sebastian Larsson SWE 06.06.85 ------35 Patrick Cregg IRL 21.02.86 ------36 Johan Djourou SUI 18.01.87 ------43 Ryan Smith ENG 10.11.86 ------Forwards 9 JosÃ© Antonio Reyes ESP 01.09.83 - - 3 - 6 1 15 2 15 2 10 Dennis Bergkamp NED 10.05.69 - - 1 1 6 - 37 7 91 30 11 Robin Van Persie NED 06.08.83 - - 2 - 6 1 10 1 20 1 14 Thierry Henry FRA 17.08.77 - - 1 2 3 3 69 38 93 46 26 Quincy Owusu-Abeyie NED 15.04.86 - - 3 - 2 - 4 - 4 - 33 Nicklas Bendtner DEN 16.01.88 ------41 Arturo Lupoli ITA 24.06.87 ------Coach ArsÃ¨ne Wenger FRA 22.10.49 - - 3 - - - 88 - 123 -

KEY: Squad list Squad list is ordered by position and then numerically No - Number, Nat. - Nationality DoB - Date of birth, Pld - Matches played, Gls - Goals

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1 - UCLQ: Total UEFA Champions League appearances in the qualifying rounds only 2 - UCL: Total UEFA Champions League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday 3 - UCL: Total appearances in the UEFA Champions League from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition) 4 - UEFA: Total appearances in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup)

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Match-by-match lineups - Group B Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts Arsenal FC 3 3 0 0 6 2 9 AFC Ajax 3 1 1 1 4 3 4 FC Thun 3 1 0 2 2 4 3 AC Sparta Praha 3 0 1 2 1 4 1 Date Match Res Lineups 14/09/2005 AC Sparta Praha v AFC Ajax 1-1 Sparta: BlaÅ¾ek, Sivok, Zelenka, PoborskÃ½, SlepiÄ•ka (MatuÅ¡oviÄ• 49), LukÃ¡Å¡, Kisel, PetrÃ¡Å¡, PospÄ›ch, PolÃ¡Ä•ek (DoÅ¡ek 79), Kadlec Ajax: Vonk, Trabelsi, Grygera, GalÃ¡sek (Heitinga 93), Maduro, Pienaar (Rosales 80), Babel, Sneijder, Emanuelson, Lindenbergh, Rosenberg (Charisteas 76) 14/09/2005 Arsenal FC v FC Thun 2-1 Arsenal: Almunia, Ashley Cole, PirÃ¨s, Ljungberg (Hleb 81), Reyes (Owusu-Abeyie 81), Van Persie, Lauren, Fabregas (Bergkamp 73), Gilberto, Campbell, TourÃ© Thun: Jakupovic, GonÃ§alves, Milicevic, Bernardini, Adriano (Gelson 57), Gerber (Leandro 73), Orman, Aegerter, Lustrinelli (Omar 87), Ferreira, Hodzic 27/09/2005 FC Thun v AC Sparta Praha 1-0 Thun: Jakupovic, Leandro, GonÃ§alves, Milicevic, Adriano (Gelson 83), Deumi, Orman (Gerber 46), Aegerter, Lustrinelli (Sen 79), Ferreira, Hodzic Sparta: BlaÅ¾ek, HaÅ¡ek, Sivok, Zelenka (DoÅ¡ek 84), SlepiÄ•ka (HerzÃ¡n 60), PetrouÅ¡, Kisel, PetrÃ¡Å¡, PospÄ›ch, PolÃ¡Ä•ek, Kadlec 27/09/2005 AFC Ajax v Arsenal FC 1-2 Ajax: Vonk, Grygera, GalÃ¡sek, Charisteas (Rosenberg 57), Pienaar, Babel, Vermaelen, De Jong, Emanuelson (Juanfran 85), Lindenbergh, Boukhari (Manucharyan 69) Arsenal: Almunia, Ashley Cole, PirÃ¨s (Clichy 88), Ljungberg, Reyes (Owusu-Abeyie 81), Lauren, Hleb (Cygan 94), Fabregas, Flamini, Campbell, TourÃ© 18/10/2005 AFC Ajax v FC Thun 2-0 Ajax: Stekelenburg, Trabelsi, Grygera, GalÃ¡sek, Rosales (Heitinga 90), Maduro, Pienaar (Boukhari 84), De Jong, Anastasiou (Babel 82), Sneijder, Emanuelson Thun: Jakupovic, Leandro, GonÃ§alves, Milicevic, Gelson (Duruz 84), Adriano (Sen 74), Deumi, Orman, Aegerter, Lustrinelli (Omar 84), Ferreira 18/10/2005 AC Sparta Praha v Arsenal FC 0-2 Sparta: BlaÅ¾ek, Pergl (MatuÅ¡oviÄ• 70), Zelenka, SlepiÄ•ka (DoÅ¡ek 77), PetrouÅ¡, LukÃ¡Å¡, Kisel, PetrÃ¡Å¡, PospÄ›ch, PolÃ¡Ä•ek, Kadlec Arsenal: Lehmann, PirÃ¨s, Reyes (Henry 15), Van Persie (EbouÃ© 73), Lauren, Fabregas (Owusu- Abeyie 89), Flamini, Cygan, Gilberto, Clichy, TourÃ© 02/11/2005 FC Thun v AFC Ajax 02/11/2005 Arsenal FC v AC Sparta Praha 22/11/2005 AFC Ajax v AC Sparta Praha 22/11/2005 FC Thun v Arsenal FC 07/12/2005 AC Sparta Praha v FC Thun 07/12/2005 Arsenal FC v AFC Ajax

KEY: Match-by-match lineups Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for, GA - Goals against, Pts - Points (NOTE: In the group stage, the group winners and runners-up advance to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, the

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eight third-placed teams move into the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth-placed teams are eliminated.)

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Booking list - Group B AC Sparta Praha 04/05 QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 11 Adam PetrouÅ¡ Y 15 Petr LukÃ¡Å¡ Y 23 Michal Kadlec Y AFC Ajax 04/05 QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 3 ZdenÄ›k Grygera Y 6 TomÃ¡Å¡ GalÃ¡sek Y Y * 10 Steven Pienaar Y 12 Hans Vonk Y Arsenal FC 04/05 QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 1 Jens Lehmann 2 11 Robin van Persie R Y 22 GaÃ«l Clichy Y 24 Manuel Almunia Y 28 Kolo Abib TourÃ© Y Y * FC Thun 04/05 QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 3 JosÃ© GonÃ§alves Y 12 Armand Deumi Y 21 Nelson Ferreira Y 26 Selver Hodzic Y Y *

KEY: Booking list Y - Booked, R - Sent off, Y/R - Yellow + Direct Red - Suspension, ### - Suspension for at least 1 match, * - Misses next match if booked NOTE: this list is destined for the press. It is given to the competing clubs for information purposes only and therefore has no legal value. In the event of any discrepancy, only the correspondence addressed directly to the clubs will be considered as the authoritative version.

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Player statistics AC Sparta Praha QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 Goalkeepers 29 JaromÃr BlaÅ¾ek ------90 90 90 - - - 30 David BiÄ•Ãk ------31 TomÃ¡Å¡ Grigar ------Defenders 4 Pavel Pergl ------70(-) - - - 11 Adam PetrouÅ¡ ------90 90 - - - 14 LuboÅ¡ LouÄ•ka ------15 Petr LukÃ¡Å¡ ------90 - 90 - - - 19 Martin PetrÃ¡Å¡ ------90 90 90 - - - 20 ZdenÄ›k PospÄ›ch ------90 90 90 - - - 22 Å tÄ›pÃ¡n KuÄ•era ------23 Michal Kadlec ------90 90 90 - - - 27 Jan Å imÅ¯nek ------Midfielders 2 Martin HaÅ¡ek ------90 - - - - 3 Ladislav VoleÅ¡Ã¡k ------6 TomÃ¡Å¡ Sivok ------90 90 - - - - 7 LukÃ¡Å¡ Zelenka ------90 84(-) 90 - - - 13 OndÅ™ej SedlÃ¡Ä•ek ------16 Jan Å imÃ¡k ------18 Karol Kisel ------90 90 90 - - - 21 TomÃ¡Å¡ PolÃ¡Ä•ek ------79(-) 90 90 - - - 24 ZdenÄ›k Volek ------25 Miroslav KrÃ¡l ------Forwards 5 OndÅ™ej Honka ------9 Libor DoÅ¡ek ------11(+) 6(+) 13(+) - - - 10 Miroslav SlepiÄ•ka ------49(-) 60(-) 77(-) - - - 12 OndÅ™ej HerzÃ¡n ------30(+) - - - - 17 OndÅ™ej BÃro ------26 JiÅ™Ã JeslÃnek ------28 Miroslav MatuÅ¡oviÄ• ------41(+) - 20(+) - - -

KEY: Lineups Lineups are ordered by position and then numerically No - Jersey number (-) - Denotes player substituted (+) - Denotes player introduced (*) - Denotes player dismissed (+/-) - Denotes player introduced and substituted

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Player statistics Arsenal FC QF1 QF2 QF3 Group Phase No. Player 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd MD1 MD2 MD3 MD4 MD5 MD6 Goalkeepers 1 Jens Lehmann ------90 - - - 21 Mart Poom ------24 Manuel Almunia ------90 90 - - - - 39 Mark Howard ------40 Michael Jordan ------42 Vito Mannone ------Defenders 3 Ashley Cole ------90 90 - - - - 12 Lauren ------90 90 90 - - - 18 Pascal Cygan ------1(+) 90 - - - 20 Philippe Senderos ------22 GaÃ«l Clichy ------2(+) 90 - - - 23 Sol Campbell ------90 90 - - - - 27 Emmanuel EbouÃ© ------17(+) - - - 28 Kolo TourÃ© ------90 90 90 - - - 34 Matthew Connolly ------37 Ryan Garry ------38 Kerrea Gilbert ------Midfielders 7 Robert PirÃ¨s ------90 88(-) 90 - - - 8 Fredrik Ljungberg ------81(-) 90 - - - - 13 Aleksandr Hleb ------9(+) 89(-) - - - - 15 Cesc Fabregas ------73(-) 90 89(-) - - - 16 Matthieu Flamini ------90 90 - - - 17 Alexandre Song ------19 Gilberto ------90 - 90 - - - 29 Sebastian Larsson ------35 Patrick Cregg ------36 Johan Djourou ------43 Ryan Smith ------Forwards 9 JosÃ© Antonio Reyes ------81(-) 81(-) 15(-) - - - 10 Dennis Bergkamp ------17(+) - - - - - 11 Robin Van Persie ------45 - 73(-) - - - 14 Thierry Henry ------75(+) - - - 26 Quincy Owusu-Abeyie ------9(+) 9(+) 1(+) - - - 33 Nicklas Bendtner ------41 Arturo Lupoli ------

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Head coach profiles Stanislav Griga Slovakian Stanislav Griga was appointed as Jaroslav Hrebík's successor at Czech champions AC Sparta Praha after the club made a disappointing start to this season. Sparta had lost four of their first seven league matches and taken just one point from their opening two UEFA Champions League group games. Griga is already a familiar face at Sparta, having joined the club as a striker in 1981 and left eight years later after scoring 120 league goals. He also played for Feyenoord and SK Rapid Wien and scored eight goals in 34 international appearances, a tally which includes Czechoslovakia's run to the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

He started his coaching career in his home town at MŠK Žilina and then led FC Trencín, ŠK Slovan Bratislava, FK ZTS Dubnica and also the Slovakian Under-21 national team. He crossed the border to the Czech Republic to coach FC Slovan Liberec, guiding them to fifth place in the Czech league in 2004/05 despite starting the season with a six-point deduction. He left the club in the summer of 2005, and was unattached when Sparta came in for him.

Arsène Wenger Arsène Wenger was never covered in glory as a player, but has more than made up for his lack of playing success in his time as a coach, turning Arsenal FC into one of Europe's top teams thanks to his incredible eye for a bargain and his astute footballing mind. Born in Strasbourg in 1949, Wenger worked at RC Strasbourg and AS Cannes before AS Nancy-Lorraine offered him his big break into management. He impressed sufficiently to be offered the job as coach of AS Monaco FC in 1987. Within a year Monaco scooped the French championship and Wenger the Manager of the Year award. He reportedly turned down France and FC Bayern München to continue at Monaco, although he did move on to Japan and enjoy tremendous success with Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Appointed by Arsenal in September 1996, Wenger became the first foreigner to win the Premiership title in 1998, adding the first of four FA Cup triumphs to boot. The Gunners lost the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray SK but claimed another double in 2002, and in 2004 played some swashbuckling football en route to becoming the first team since Preston North End FC in 1889 to negotiate a top-flight season unbeaten. Already given the freedom of Islington for his success in north London, Wenger's status would rise to God-like levels should he steer Arsenal to UEFA Champions League glory.

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Match officials Referee Wolfgang Stark (GER) Assistant referees Markus Scheibel (GER), Thorsten Schiffner (GER) Fourth official Thorsten Kinhöfer (GER) UEFA Delegate Svein Johannessen (NOR) Referee

Name Nat. DoB UCL1 UEFA2 Wolfgang Stark GER 20.11.1969 15 34 Wolfgang Stark's ambition is to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Markus Merk and reach the top of the European refereeing tree.

Hailing from Landshut in Bavaria, bank employee Stark has been a German Football Association referee since 1994. He took charge of 53 matches in the 2. Bundesliga before stepping up to the German top flight in 1997. Two years later he became a FIFA official, overseeing his first international match in March 2001 - a goalless draw between Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Two highlights of his career so far came in 1999 when he was selected to travel to the FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand and the UEFA European Under-18 Championship in Sweden. Stark also spent a valuable month refereeing in Japan’s J- League in September 2001.

In 2003/04, the Bavarian officiated at three matches in the UEFA Champions League and two in the latter stages of the UEFA Cup, figures he built on last season. Stark was also a regular in FIFA World Cup qualifying - ending the qualifying round by overseeing the match between France in Cyprus at the Stade de France, the venue for the 2006 UEFA Champions League final.

UEFA Champions League matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 20.03.2002 UCL GS2 AC Sparta Praha - FC Porto 2-0 Prague 14.08.2002 UCL QR3 Zalaegerszegi TE - Manchester United FC 1-0 Budapest 25.11.2003 UCL GS1 FC Internazionale Milano - Arsenal FC 1-5 Milan 15.09.2004 UCL GS Olympique Lyonnais - Manchester United FC 2-2 Lyon 03.11.2004 UCL GS RC Deportivo La Coruña - Liverpool FC 0-1 La Coruna 23.11.2004 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Fenerbahçe SK 0-1 Prague 23.08.2005 UCL QR3 Liverpool FC - PFC CSKA Sofia 0-1 Liverpool 13.09.2005 UCL GS Chelsea FC - RSC Anderlecht 1-0 London 18.10.2005 UCL GS AC Sparta Praha - Arsenal FC 0-2 Prague

UEFA Champions League Other matches Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue

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24.10.2001 UCL GS1 PSV Eindhoven - FC Nantes Atlantique 0-0 Eindhoven 24.09.2002 UCL GS1 Juventus - FC Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 Turin 29.10.2002 UCL GS1 Galatasaray SK - FC Lokomotiv Moskva 1-2 Istanbul 18.02.2003 UCL GS2 AS Roma - Valencia CF 0-1 Rome 18.03.2003 UCL GS2 FC Basel 1893 - Juventus 2-1 Basle 27.08.2003 UCL QR3 Celtic FC - MTK Hungária FC 1-0 Glasgow 16.09.2003 UCL GS1 Real Madrid CF - Olympique de Marseille 4-2 Madrid 10.12.2003 UCL GS1 AEK Athens FC - AS Monaco FC 0-0 Athens 25.08.2004 UCL QR3 Rangers FC - PFC CSKA Moskva 1-1 Glasgow 01.11.2005 UCL GS Rosenborg BK - Real Madrid CF Trondheim

Other matches Date Comp. Stage Match Res Venue 06.03.1999 U16 QR Scotland - Spain 0-1 Ta' Qali 19.06.1999 UIC R1 PFC Spartak Varna - K. Sint-Truidense VV 1-2 Varna 20.07.1999 U18 GS - FT France - Greece 1-1 Norrkoping 23.07.1999 U18 GS - FT Rep. of Ireland - Italy 0-2 Norrkoping 12.08.1999 UCUP QR KR Reykjavík - Kilmarnock FC 1-0 Reykjavik 30.09.1999 UCUP R1 Panathinaikos FC - NK Gorica 2-0 Athens 21.10.1999 UCUP R2 Leeds United AFC - FC Lokomotiv Moskva 4-1 Leeds 02.08.2000 UIC SF FK Chmel Blšany - SK Sigma Olomouc 0-0 Blsany 28.09.2000 UCUP R1 AS Roma - NK Gorica 7-0 Rome 10.10.2000 U21 QR Slovakia - Sweden 1-1 Bratislava 26.10.2000 UCUP R2 FC Nantes Atlantique - MTK Hungária FC 2-1 Nantes 24.03.2001 WC QR Azerbaijan - Moldova 0-0 Baku 01.08.2001 UIC SF Aston Villa FC - Stade Rennais FC 1-0 Birmingham 22.11.2001 UCUP R3 AEK Athens FC - PFC Litex Lovech 3-2 Athens 28.02.2002 UCUP R4 AC Milan - Roda JC 0-1*(3-2) Milan 12.10.2002 EURO QR Sweden - Hungary 1-1 Solna 12.12.2002 UCUP R3 Liverpool FC - B.V. Vitesse 1-0 Liverpool 12.02.2003 FRIE. R1 France - Czech Republic 0-2 11.06.2003 EURO QR England - Slovakia 2-1 Middlesbrough 06.09.2003 EURO QR Ukraine - Northern Ireland 0-0 Donetsk 15.11.2003 FRIE. R1 Italy - Romania 1-0 Ancona 26.02.2004 UCUP R3 Parma FC - Gençlerbirligi SK 0-1 Parma 11.03.2004 UCUP R4 Celtic FC - FC Barcelona 1-0 Glasgow 31.03.2004 FRIE. R1 Netherlands - France 0-0 Rotterdam 13.10.2004 WC QR Ukraine - Georgia 2-0 Lvov 20.03.2005 UCUP 1/8 Villarreal CF - FC Steaua Bucuresti 2-0 Villarreal 26.03.2005 WC QR England - Northern Ireland 4-0 Manchester 14.04.2005 UCUP QF AJ Auxerre - PFC CSKA Moskva 2-0 Auxerre 03.09.2005 WC QR Iceland - Croatia 1-3 Reykjavik 12.10.2005 WC QR France - Cyprus 4-0 Paris

KEY: Match officials Nat. - Nationality, DoB - Date of birth Comp. - Competition, Res - Result 1 - UCL: Total matches officiated in the UEFA Champions League from 1992/93 season, group stage to final only. (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in the competition. Matches where the match official

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has acted as a fourth official are not included in this statistic.) 2 - UEFA: Total matches officiated in UEFA club competitions including all qualifying round matches (NOTE: These are the official statistics considered valid for communicating official records in UEFA club competitions defined as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Intertoto Cup. International matches or matches where the match official has acted as a fourth official are not included in this statistic.) ECCC: European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA AP: Appearances QR2: Second qualifying round Champions League : Final QR3: Third qualifying round UCUP: UEFA Cup GS: Group stage R1: First round UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup GS1: First group stage R2: Second round SCUP: UEFA Super Cup GS2: Second group stage R3: Third round UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup PR: Preliminary round R4: Fourth round EURO: UEFA European Football Championship QF: Quarter-finals SF: Semi-finals WC: FIFA World Cup QR: Qualifying round 1/8: Eighth-finals CONFCUP: Confederation Cup QR1: First qualifying round 1/16: Sixteenth-finals FRIE.: Friendly matches

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Domestic news Arsenal and Ajax suffer upsets (Saturday, 15 October 2005) If there were red faces at Arsenal FC and AFC Ajax following unexpected results on Saturday, the weekend took on a different complexion for FC Thun and AC Sparta Praha who scored ten goals between them.

West Bromwich Albion FC 2-1 Arsenal FC Arsenal's dismal Premiership away form continued with a dispiriting defeat by West Brom. Arsène Wenger's team have taken just one point from four matches on their travels, and now trail leaders Chelsea by 14 points.

Defender Philippe Senderos volleyed the opener in the 17th minute after an assist from José Antonio Reyes. They were pegged back by Highbury old boy Nwankwo Kanu, whose goal was the first conceded by Arsenal in 336 minutes of top-flight action. West Brom goalkeeper Chris Kirkland made several high-class saves, before Darren Carter struck a 76th-minute winner.

"We don't speak about the title at the moment, we've got other worries," said Wenger. "It was a strange game. We had plenty of chances and the goals we gave away were without any real danger. We played with a good spirit and showed great potential, but we lacked maturity and with a bit more experience would have won this game easily."

Injuries to Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell meant there were no British players in Arsenal's 16-man squad, while Dennis Bergkamp captained the club on his 400th appearance. Gaël Clichy deputised for Ashley Cole (broken foot), while Aleksandr Hleb (knee) is out for six weeks. Robin van Persie (thigh) missed the game but could face Sparta, when Gilberto also returns.

FC Thun 5-1 FC St. Gallen Thun got a welcome boost ahead of their trip to Ajax. They ended a two-game losing streak in the Swiss Football League by thrashing St. Gallen to avenge their defeat by the same scoreline at their opponents' ground earlier in the season. After a 61-day exile caused by flooding at their Lachen stadium, Thun returned home to be greeted by a 5,000-strong crowd. The supporters were rewarded by goals from Nelson Ferreira and Gelson Rodrigues inside the opening 15 minutes. Swiss international Mauro Lustrinelli - not even a substitute in Switzerland's midweek stalemate in the Republic of Ireland – and Gelson again struck before half-time, while Ferreira added a fifth on 62 minutes. Eldin Jakupovic was denied a clean sheet by a last-minute consolation for the visitors, who had had two efforts disallowed for offside. Thun appeared to have used the fortnight break to replenish their energy levels, although coach Urs Schönenberger has injury doubts over Selver Hodzic (knee), Tiago Bernardi (concussion) and Andres Gerber (achilles) who all sat out the game. "The two weeks were good for us to recover mentally too," he said. "Now we feel ready and want

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to promote Swiss football against Ajax." AFC Ajax 0-0 Heracles Almelo

Fifth-placed Ajax dropped further off the pace in the Dutch Eredivisie with a home stalemate against Heracles. It was the first time the teams had drawn in Amsterdam, Ajax having won four of their five previous meetings.

Markus Rosenberg, Nigel de Jong and Nourdin Boukhari missed good chances as Ajax dominated but could not find the breakthrough. Substitute Yannis Anastasiou had possibly the best opportunity of all five minutes from time, but sent a free header wide after being set up by Sneijder. The result means Ajax have won just once in four home league games this term. "It is a real setback to drop four points against ADO Den Haag and Heracles. It makes it tough to challenge for the title," said coach Danny Blind. "We had four or five real chances, and six half-chances, so we should have scored. Failing to score is always frustrating for players and for the team. This is an unbelievable disappointment, but now we have to focus on Thun." Blind had made a raft of changes to the side that defeated Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 on 2 October, bringing Maarten Stekelenburg, Mauro Rosales, Wesley Sneijder, Hatem Trabelsi and Olaf Lindenbergh back into the starting lineup. There was no place, however, for Ryan Babel or Steven Pienaar. Hedwiges Maduro was rested ahead of the Thun match, while Angelos Charisteas (concussion), Maxwell, Nicolae Mitea, Kenneth Vermeer (all knee) and Edgar Manucharyan (thigh) were also absent.

AC Sparta Praha 5-2 FK Chmel Blšany

Sparta's new coach Stanislav Griga began his reign with a comfortable victory over Blšany. The Czech champions ended a run of four defeats - including at Thun - and scored more than two goals in a match for the first time this season.

The hosts started brightly, and TomášPol áček met Zdeněk Pospěch's cross to volley an unstoppable opener on 18 minutes. Libor Došek headed the second five minutes later – his first goal since signing from FC Slovan Liberec – but he was stretchered off before halftime, with his participation against Arsenal in doubt. The visitors pulled one back in the 37th minute, but the twogoal cushion was restored soon after the break by Jan Vorel's own goal. Miroslav Matušovič and Martin Petráš embellished the win before a late consolation for Blšany. Griga said: "I am pleased with the result, but not with our defence. We have to do many things differently against Arsenal." Sparta missed the longterm injured Tomáš Sivok (knee), suspended Miroslav Slepička, and Karel Poborský, who is still on loan at SK Dynamo České Budějovice. Goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek and playmaker Lukáš Zelenka returned to the team after being omitted by Griga's predecessor Jaroslav Hřebík in the previous round.

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Domestic league details AC Sparta Praha (Gambrinus Liga) Date Opponent Res Lineups 24.09.2005 v FC Baník Ostrava (H) 0-2 Blažek, Pergl, Petráš, Lukáš( Hašek 36), Kadlec, Pospěch, Petrouš, Zelenka, Kisel, Došek (Poláček 36), Matušovič (Slepička 21) 02.10.2005 v FK Teplice (A) 12 Grigar, Poláček, Loučka (Pergl 22), Petráš, Petrouš, Kadlec (Lukáš 81), Pospěch, Kisel, Hašek, Došek, Matušovič (Zelenka 46) 15.10.2005 v FK Chmel Blšany (H) 52 Blažek, Pospěch, Petrouš (Hašek 80), Lukáš, Kadlec, Kisel, Zelenka (Herzán 68), Petráš, Poláček, Došek (Pergl 46), Matušovič Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 06.08.2005 v FC Viktoria Plzen (A) 21 Zelenka, Kisel 13.08.2005 v FK SIAD Most (H) 21 Poborský (pen), Sivok 20.08.2005 v FC Slovan Liberec (A) 02 29.08.2005 v 1. FC Brno (H) 11 Sivok 10.09.2005 v FC Vysocina Jihlava (H) 20 Zelenka (2) 17.09.2005 v 1. FC Slovácko (A) 02 24.09.2005 v FC Baník Ostrava (H) 02 02.10.2005 v FK Teplice (A) 12 Poláček 15.10.2005 v FK Chmel Blšany (H) 52 Own goal, Došek, Matušovič, Petráš, Poláček 05.11.2005 v FK Jablonec 97 (A) 20.11.2005 v FK Mladá Boleslav (H) 27.11.2005 v FC Zlín (A) 04.12.2005 v FK Marila Príbram (H) 11.12.2005 v FK SIAD Most (A) Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 FC Slovan Liberec 11 8 2 1 18 5 26 2 FK Teplice 11 7 3 1 18 8 24 3 SK Sigma Olomouc 11 6 1 4 16 16 19 4 SK Slavia Praha 10 5 3 2 20 13 18 5 FK Marila Príbram 11 5 3 3 17 12 18 6 FK Mladá Boleslav 11 4 3 4 18 18 15 7 FC Viktoria Plzen 11 4 3 4 14 14 15 8 FK Jablonec 97 10 4 2 4 16 15 14 9 FC Baník Ostrava 11 3 4 4 10 12 13 10 AC Sparta Praha 11 4 1 6 15 19 13 11 FC Zlín 11 3 3 5 10 13 12 12 FC Vysocina Jihlava 11 3 3 5 10 17 12 13 1. FC Slovácko 11 2 5 4 11 13 11 14 FK SIAD Most 10 3 1 6 12 14 10 15 FK Chmel Blšany 11 2 4 5 11 22 10 16 1. FC Brno 10 0 5 5 11 16 5 KEY: Domestic league details - , Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for, GA - Goals against, Pts - Points

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Domestic league details Arsenal FC (Barclaycard Premiership) Date Opponent Res Lineups 24.09.2005 v West Ham United FC (A) 0-0 Lehmann, Lauren, Touré, Campbell, Ashley Cole, Ljungberg, Fabregas, Gilberto (Flamini 71), Hleb, Van Persie (Clichy 82), Reyes (Owusu-Abeyie 73) 02.10.2005 v Birmingham City FC (H) 1-0 Lehmann, Lauren, Touré, Campbell, Ashley Cole, Hleb (Bergkamp 61), Fabregas, Gilberto, Pirès (Van Persie 70), Ljungberg (Flamini 87), Reyes 15.10.2005 v West Bromwich Albion FC (A) 1-2 Lehmann, Lauren, Touré, Senderos, Clichy, Ljungberg (Eboué 36), Fabregas, Flamini (Owusu-Abeyie 77), Pirès, Reyes, Bergkamp Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 14.08.2005 v Newcastle United FC (H) 2-0 Henry (pen), Van Persie 21.08.2005 v Chelsea FC (A) 0-1 24.08.2005 v Fulham FC (H) 4-1 Henry (2), Cygan (2) 10.09.2005 v Middlesbrough FC (A) 1-2 Reyes 19.09.2005 v Everton FC (H) 2-0 Campbell (2) 24.09.2005 v West Ham United FC (A) 0-0 02.10.2005 v Birmingham City FC (H) 1-0 Own goal 15.10.2005 v West Bromwich Albion FC (A) 1-2 Senderos 05.11.2005 v Sunderland AFC (H) 19.11.2005 v Wigan Athletic FC (A) 26.11.2005 v Blackburn Rovers FC (H) 03.12.2005 v Bolton Wanderers FC (A) 10.12.2005 v Newcastle United FC (A) Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 Chelsea FC 11 10 1 0 28 6 31 2 Wigan Athletic FC 10 7 1 2 11 5 22 3 Tottenham Hotspur FC 11 5 5 1 13 7 20 4 Bolton Wanderers FC 11 6 2 3 13 11 20 5 Charlton Athletic FC 10 6 1 3 15 10 19 6 Manchester United FC 10 5 3 2 15 11 18 7 Arsenal FC 10 5 2 3 13 7 17 8 Manchester City FC 10 5 2 3 11 8 17 9 West Ham United FC 10 4 3 3 14 10 15 10 Newcastle United FC 11 4 3 4 11 10 15 11 Middlesbrough FC 11 4 3 4 15 15 15 12 Blackburn Rovers FC 11 4 2 5 11 14 14 13 Liverpool FC 9 3 4 2 7 8 13 14 Portsmouth FC 11 2 4 5 11 13 10 15 Fulham FC 11 2 3 6 10 15 9 16 Aston Villa FC 10 2 3 5 9 16 9 17 West Bromwich Albion FC 11 2 2 7 9 21 8 18 Everton FC 10 2 1 7 3 12 7 19 Birmingham City FC 11 1 3 7 7 16 6 20 Sunderland AFC 11 1 2 8 10 21 5 KEY: Domestic league details - , Pld - Matches played, W - Won, D - Drawn, L - Lost, GF - Goals for, GA - Goals against, Pts - Points

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UEFA information The week in UEFA •UEFA supports FARE Action Week As part of UEFA's concerted anti-racism campaign, European football's governing body is using this week's UEFA Champions League games to make a stand against racism. The campaign, which is part of the Action Week organised by the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, will take place at all 16 Matchday 3 games played on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Europe's biggest stars are supporting the message against racism. Each team will be accompanied on to the pitch by children wearing 'Unite Against Racism' T-shirts, and tannoy announcements will be made before each match. For its Action Week, the FARE network is co-ordinating activities that will involve supporters groups, football clubs from 35 countries, national associations, community and migrant organisations, anti-discrimination initiatives and schools.

•Out -of-competition doping controls UEFA is undertaking out-of-competition doping controls for the first time in this season's UEFA Champions League. The move - whereby any player can be tested outside of the regular random post-match testing - is part of UEFA's reinforcement of its anti-doping activities.

These campaigns have seen an increase in the number of drug tests in its competitions, greater financial outlay in the sector, the creation of an anti-doping unit within the UEFA administration, as well as an expert anti-doping panel and an education programme aimed at the broad spectrum of the European football community.

•Opening action draws big crowds The UEFA Champions League remains a top-draw attraction, with some excellent attendances recorded on the opening two Matchdays. A total of 513,066 fans watched the action on Matchday 1, with many stadiums packed either to full, or almost full capacity. A sell-out at the Stade Gerland (40,309) watched Olympique Lyonnais defeat Real Madrid CF, while Werder Bremen's Weserstadion was 99 per cent full (37,001) for the visit of FC Barcelona. Two capacity crowds were registered in Germany on Matchday 2 - at the Fussball Arena München (66,000) for the FC Bayern München-Club Brugge KV encounter, and at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen (53,993) for the match between FC Schalke 04 and AC Milan. Old Trafford was 99 per cent full (66,112) for Manchester United FC's match with SL Benfica. Swiss side FC Thun's first home game at the nearby Stade de Suisse in Berne brought a 30,783 crowd (98 per cent of capacity) for the visit of AC Sparta Praha. A total of 634,335 fans attended games on Matchday 2.

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General competition information Competition summary UEFA's most prestigious club competition was originally created as the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the 1955/56 season, before its revamping as the UEFA Champions League in 1992. •Competition format: The UEFA Champions League is open to each national association's domestic champions, as well as clubs who finish just behind them in their respective domestic championship. The number of clubs that can be entered by an association and their entry point in the competition depends on the association’s position in UEFA's coefficient ranking list. The current format was introduced in 2003/04. After three qualifying rounds, 32 teams contest the group stage, divided into eight groups of four. The group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stage, the eight third-placed teams move into the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth- placed teams are eliminated.

A draw determines who each of the 16 clubs will play in the first knockout stage, with ties decided over two matches on a home and away basis. The club that scores the greater aggregate of goals advances, or in the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more away goals. If the away-goals rule proves inconclusive, extra time of two periods of 15 minutes is played after the second match. Away goals count double in that period, with penalty kicks coming into play if needed. The same rules apply to subsequent rounds with a one-off final match deciding the winners.

•Key dates: The draw for the first knockout round will take place in Nyon on 16 December with matches being played on 21/22 February and 7/8 March. The draws for the quarter-finals (to be played on 28/29 March and 4/5 April), semi-finals (18/19 & 25/26 April) and final are scheduled for 17 March 2006. This season’s showpiece will be played at the Stade de France, Paris on Wednesday 17 May 2006.

•Financial information: UEFA has estimated that the gross budgeted income for the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League will be €598m - higher than the revenue obtained last season. Based on those amounts, €453m would go to the 32 clubs, including €22.5m for the professional leagues of the participating associations, and €145m to UEFA for European football. Clubs in the group stage will receive a starting fee of €1.6m and a bonus of €321,000 per match.

Performance bonuses will involve €321,000 for a win and €161,000 for a draw in the group stage. The 16 teams playing in the first knockout round will receive €1.6m each, the eight quarter-finalists €1.9m each and the four semi-finalists €2.6m. The Champions League winners will receive €6.4m, and the runners-up €3.9m. This means that a total minimum amount of €3.5m per club is guaranteed for the group stage. A club could receive, at best, up to €18m, not counting the TV market pool share and gate receipts. •Record holders/new faces: Real Madrid CF are the most successful side in the history of the competition with nine triumphs (three coming in the new era) followed by

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six for AC Milan and five for current champions Liverpool FC. FC Bayern München and AFC Ajax have each lifted the famous trophy on four occasions, while, in contrast, FC Artmedia, FC Thun, Real Betis Balompié, Udinese Calcio and Villarreal CF are all competing in the group stage for the first time this season. •Deadlines: UEFA Champions League press kits are provided to media by uefa.com. For every UEFA Champions League match, two press kits are issued: Sunday at 22:00CET with a match preview update on Monday at 22:00CET for Tuesday's matches. For Wednesday's matches, the press kit is issued on Monday at 22:00CET with the match preview update version published on Tuesday at 22:00CET.

•Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this press kit is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein.

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