v Panathinaikos FC

Friuli - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - 20:45 (CET) Group stage - Group C - Matchday 1

Match officials Referee Olegário Benquerença (POR) Assistant referees Bertino Miranda (POR), Serafim Nogueira (POR) Fourth official Paulo Batista (POR) UEFA delegate Kazimierz Oleszek (POL) Match preview Cosmi calm ahead of competition bow Udinese Calcio coach could barely contain his excitement ahead of his side's first-ever UEFA Champions League match at home to Panathinaikos FC on Wednesday evening.

Emotional time "It's a very emotional time," he said. "I feel very proud. Just coming to the stadium and watching everything being set up, you get the feeling we are experiencing something extraordinary. We feel we've come very far and now we want to do well for everyone associated with the club." Cosmi's enthusiasm is understandable. Three months ago, the amiable Italian was coaching Genoa 1893 in and now he is preparing to test himself against the leading lights of European football.

Boyhood dreams "I remember when I was a boy watching [FC] Internazionale [Milano] and AC Milan and the contribution they made - a winning contribution – and I dreamt of being a player. Then, as time goes by, you moderate your expectations and hope to make it as a manager. I've worked my way up from the bottom and I hope other lower- league managers will see that we can make it to the highest level." But if Cosmi appears happy with his lot, he also pointed out that his players are not just there to make up the numbers.

Mature approach Udinese may not be 's most fashionable team, but they currently top following 1-0 wins against Empoli FC and AS Roma. "I have faith in my players and despite the occasion they are still very calm," Cosmi continued. "After Sunday's victory at Roma they were happy with the result but they weren't jumping around going mad. They took it all in their stride and that's a sign of growing maturity in this side."

Iaquinta ambition One of the players with his feet firmly on the ground is , the striker who has managed to force his way into the Italy team and is now looking to make his mark in Europe. "I know I haven't scored in Serie A yet but I'm sure the goals will come," he said. "I've always been a slow starter but I'm happy with my game. I scored a penalty in the qualifying round [against Sporting Clube de Portugal] and I'll settle for that tomorrow if we win."

Selection dilemma Cosmi remains guarded about his formation to face the Greeks after utilising three forwards at the weekend with and Davide Di Michele supporting a more central Iaquinta. Di Michele could make way for the more defence-minded Vidigal or , although and defender are both likely to miss out through injury and illness respectively.

Panathinaikos problems Udinese's problems pale into insignificance compared with those of Panathinaikos, however. Emmanuel Olisadebe and Flavio Conceição are suspended, while Dimitrios Papoudopoulos and Srdjan Adrić are sidelined. The absentees are a further blow to coach , whose side are languishing near the bottom of the Alpha Ethniki following a home defeat by title­holders Olympiacos CFP and a draw at Ionikos FC on Saturday. The Italian may now field a defensive­looking lineup at the Friuli stadium with Sándor Torghelle operating as a lone striker.

Malesani makes his point Indeed, Malesani hinted that a draw would be far from disastrous. "We must be very calm. The group stage is

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 .com

1/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

like a mini championship so if things don't go to plan in the first match there is still time to put them right. A point means you still have a very good chance of qualifying."

Match background Greek grit gets Udinese under way Such is the dominance of the bigger clubs in Italian football, that Udinese Calcio are only the eighth Italian club to take part in the UEFA Champions League, despite the country currently having a annual quota of four clubs. Udinese finished fourth in Serie A last season, a point ahead of UC Sampdoria, and have qualified for their first group stage with a 4­2 aggregate win against Sporting Clube de Portugal in the third qualifying round.

The Champions League newcomers begin with a home game against Panathinaikos FC, who now appear in the group stages for the seventh time. The Greek team reached the semi­finals ten seasons ago, but have found qualification for the knockout stages more elusive since then. Last season, Panathinaikos finished just a point behind Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven in their group, and might have progressed if they had not conceded a late equaliser at Rosenborg BK.

With their entry into the UEFA Cup in recent seasons, Udinese have previously played two ties against Greek clubs in that competition. In 2000/01, the Italians met FC PAOK in the second round, and won the home leg 1­0 with a goal from substitute . The return leg saw PAOK equalise after 73 minutes to take the tie to extra time, with the Greek team adding two more goals to win a lively match of ten yellow cards 3 ­0 and 3­ 1 on aggregate.

Last season, Udinese met Panionios NFC in the first round of the UEFA Cup for the right to join the group stage. Panionios won the first game in Greece 3­1, and held out to concede just one goal in the return leg. Udinese now meet Panathinaikos hoping for a change of fortune against Greek clubs.

Panathinaikos will meet an Italian club for the second time in the Champions League, and have also met Italian clubs in six previous ties in UEFA competitions. The Greek side will doubtless be pleased not to be drawn against Juventus FC, who have been their opponents in the Champions League and in four of the other six ties. The two other Italian opponents were Torino Calcio and Sampdoria.

The matches between Panathinaikos and Juventus in this competition took place in Group E of the 2000/01 first group stage, and were Panthinaikos’s last fixtures with Italian clubs before this match with Udinese. Juventus won at the Stadio Communale 2­1 with goals from Alessio Tacchinardi and David Trezeguet to a reply from Ioannis Goumas.

But, in the return leg, Panathiniakos, boosted by an penalty, won 3­1, to qualify for the next stage, leave Juventus at the foot of the table, and doubtless leave Panathinaikos in good stead for their next meeting with an Italian club.

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

2/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

All-time statistics Head-to-head record No matches have been played between the two clubs

Home teams record versus clubs from the away teams country Date Competition Stage Match Res Venue 24.10.2000 UCUP R2 Udinese - PAOK 1-0 Udine 09.11.2000 UCUP R2 PAOK - Udinese 3-0 Thessalonika 16.09.2004 UCUP R1 Panionios - Udinese 3-1 30.09.2004 UCUP R1 Udinese - Panionios 1-0 Udine Overall record Udinese Calcio Pld: 4, W: 2, D: 0, L: 2, GS: 3, GA: 6

Away teams record versus clubs from the home teams country Date Competition Stage Match Res Venue 20.09.1961 UCL PR Panathinaikos - Juventus 1-1 Athens 27.09.1961 UCL PR Juventus - Panathinaikos 2-1 Turin 17.09.1980 UCUP R1 Juventus - Panathinaikos 4-0 Turin 01.10.1980 UCUP R1 Panathinaikos - Juventus 4-2 Athens 18.09.1985 UCUP R1 Torino - Panathinaikos 2-1 Turin 02.10.1985 UCUP R1 Panathinaikos - Torino 1-1 Athens 11.12.1991 UCL R3 Panathinaikos - Sampdoria 0-0 Athens 15.04.1992 UCL R3 Sampdoria - Panathinaikos 1-1 Genoa 20.10.1992 UCUP R2 Panathinaikos - Juventus 0-1 Athens 04.11.1992 UCUP R2 Juventus - Panathinaikos 0-0 Turin 19.09.2000 UCL GS1 Juventus - Panathinaikos 2-1 Turin 08.11.2000 UCL GS1 Panathinaikos - Juventus 3-1 Athens Overall record Panathinaikos FC Pld: 14, W: 3, D: 5, L: 6, GS: 16, GA: 20

Record in Europe Udinese Calcio Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 2 2 0 0 4 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Cup 22 12 2 8 23 19 UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 6 4 1 1 12 6 Total 30 18 3 9 39 27 Panathinaikos FC Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 119 38 36 45 142 153

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

3/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 22 9 3 10 29 36 UEFA Cup 46 19 7 20 65 61 UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 187 66 46 75 236 250

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

4/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Players List Udinese Calcio Current Season All-time UCL League UCL UEFA Num Player DoB Pos Nat Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 26.03.77 GK ITA 2 0 2 0 2 0 8 0 12 Gabriele Paoletti 11.04.78 GK ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 58 Carlo Sciarrone 17.11.83 GK ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Defenders 2 Cristian Zapata Valencia 30.09.86 DF COL 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 4 Valerio Bertotto 15.01.73 DF ITA 2 0 1 0 2 0 25 1 6 12.10.66 DF ARG 0 0 0 0 18 4 57 7 14 05.04.79 DF ITA 2 1 2 0 2 1 2 1 19 Felipe 31.07.84 DF BRA 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 39 Juarez 25.09.73 DF BRA 0 0 1 0 2 1 6 1 41 Emanuele Politti 21.07.87 DF ITA 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 5 11.05.84 MD NGA 2 0 2 0 2 0 12 0 7 Damiano Zenoni 23.04.77 MD ITA 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 8 Vidigal 15.03.73 MD POR 2 0 2 0 6 0 9 0 13 Giampiero Pinzi 11.03.81 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 1 16 Fernando Tissone 24.07.86 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Sulley Ali Muntari 27.08.84 MD GHA 2 0 2 2 2 0 5 0 23 Stefano Mauri 08.01.80 MD ITA 2 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 25 05.07.86 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 Mirko Pieri 24.07.78 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 27 14.05.86 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 24.10.73 MD FRA 2 0 2 0 25 0 53 0 33 Flavio Lazzari 05.09.86 MD ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Forwards 9 Vincenzo Iaquinta 21.11.79 FW ITA 2 2 2 0 2 2 5 2 10 Antonio Di Natale 13.10.77 FW ITA 2 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 11 Saadi Al Gaddafi 27.05.73 FW LBY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 06.01.76 FW ITA 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 20 02.03.78 FW ITA 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 31 Paulo Barreto 12.07.85 FW BRA 2 1 2 0 2 1 2 1 42 Alessandro Armellino 05.05.87 FW ITA 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0

Coach: Serse Cosmi ()

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

5/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Players List Panathinaikos FC Current Season All-time UCL League UCL UEFA Num Player DoB Pos Nat Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Mario Galinović 15.11.76 GK CRO 2 0 2 0 4 0 17 0 12 Pierre Ebede 09.02.80 GK CMR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Michael Shimitras 05.09.74 GK CYP 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 33 Markos Vellidis 04.04.87 GK GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Defenders 4 Ilias Kotsios 25.04.77 DF GRE 2 1 1 0 4 1 8 1 5 Nasief Morris 16.04.81 DF RSA 2 1 1 0 10 1 14 1 6 Flavio Conceição 12.06.74 DF BRA 2 0 2 0 24 0 33 1 8 Ioannis Goumas 24.05.75 DF GRE 0 0 1 0 37 3 56 4 19 Anthony Šerić 15.01.79 DF CRO 2 0 2 0 2 0 14 0 24 Loukas Vintra 05.02.81 DF GRE 2 0 2 0 7 0 9 1 25 Igor Bišćan 04.05.78 DF CRO 2 0 1 0 26 0 40 0 31 Filippos Darlas 23.10.83 DF GRE 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 Theodoros Tripotseris 04.03.86 DF GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 Stefanos Siontis 04.09.87 DF GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 37 Ioannis Stathis 20.05.87 DF GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Midfielders 10 Ezequiel González 10.07.80 MD ARG 0 0 2 1 6 3 12 3 14 Nordin Wooter 24.08.76 MD NED 2 0 2 0 16 2 17 2 15 Srdjan Andrić 05.01.80 MD CRO 1 0 1 0 7 0 19 2 21 Constantinos Charalambides 25.07.81 MD CYP 2 0 n/a n/a 10 3 21 4 22 Alexandros Tziolis 13.02.85 MD GRE 1 0 0 0 1 0 6 0 27 Sotirios Leontiou 17.07.84 MD GRE 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 28 Georgios Theodoridis 03.07.80 MD GRE 1 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 29 Mikael Nilsson 24.06.78 MD SWE 0 0 n/a n/a 4 0 11 0 45 Vladimir Gadjev 18.07.87 MD BUL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Forwards 7 23.05.80 FW GRE 2 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 9 Emmanuel Olisadebe 22.12.78 FW POL 2 2 2 0 21 8 42 14 11 Dimitrios Papadopoulos 20.10.81 FW GRE 2 1 1 0 11 2 13 2 26 Evagelos Mantzios 22.04.83 FW GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 34 Stylianos Kritikos 10.01.86 FW GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 Sándor Torghelle 05.05.82 FW HUN 0 0 1 0 4 0 8 1

Coach: Alberto Malesani (ITA)

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

6/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Booking List – 2005

Group C

Qualifying Group Stage phases Matchdays 1 2 3 4 5 6 FC BARCELONA

UDINESE CALCIO

SK RAPID WIEN

PANATHINAIKOS FC DA CONCEICAO Flavio Y Y O LISADEBE Emmanuel Y Y

WERDER KLOSE Miroslav R

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.

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

7/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Referee Olegário Benquerença Nationality: POR Date of birth: 18.10.1969

Olegário Benquerença is carrying on the tradition of excellent Portuguese referees of recent years, which has included such top names as Vítor Manuel Melo Pereira.

Career: Benquerença, based in Moura Leiria, was born on 18 October 1969, and having made fine progress in his early years through the Portuguese ranks, won his FIFA international badge in 2001 at the young refereeing age of 31

2004/05: During the 2004/05 season, Benquerença took charge of three UEFA Cup matches, one UEFA Intertoto Cup match and one FIFA World Cup qualifier, between Belarus and Scotland.

UEFA Champions League matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match Date Stage Match Res Venue

Other Matches Date Stage Match Res Venue

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

8/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Domestic News Trio triumph on their travels (Sunday, 11 September 2005) Three UEFA Champions League Group C sides savoured away wins over the weekend, with Werder Bremen's emphatic victory against 1. FC Kaiserslautern sending a clear message to Wednesday's opponents FC Barcelona. Competition debutants Udinese Calcio maintained their 100 per cent start to the season, but the the team they face, Panathinaikos FC, continue to struggle.

1. FC Kaiserslautern 1-5 Werder Bremen

Bremen warmed up for Wednesday’s encounter with Barcelona in thrilling style, hitting five goals past Kaiserslautern to remain hot on the heels of FC Bayern München at the summit. Johan Micoud, Torsten Frings, Jurica Vranješand (2) were all on target as Thomas Schaaf's side maintained their impressive start to the new Bundesliga season that has seen them win three and draw one – against VfL Stuttgart last week.

"I am obviously very happy with our display. We put on an excellent performance and got the goals to show for it. All in all everything went perfectly," Schaaf said after watching Klose, Micoud and Frings all shake off minor knocks to line up and then score against a team that had won two of their opening three fixtures. Indeed, only goalkeeper Tim Wiese was absent with cruciate ligament damage that is likely to rule him out until the New Year.

RCD Mallorca 0-2 FC Barcelona

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o fired two goals past his old club Mallorca as the Spanish champions eased to a 2-0 win at the Son Moix. Eto'o, who suffered a blow to the head in training this week, broke the deadlock with a glancing header on 26 minutes and soon doubled the advantage, reacting first after ’s powerful volley had been parried. Mallorca were later reduced to nine men but the score remained locked at 2-0 as striker Santiago Ezquerro made his debut.

Barça were surprisingly held by league newcomers Deportivo Alavés SAD last weekend and coach Frank Rijkaard now believes his team are finding their feet. "It was pleasing to see our defence approach the game with the right mentality and I was happy with Deco's involvement throughout. Little by little we are getting back to our top level. It is tough playing against defensive sides because you end up dropping your rhythm to theirs and it's not always possible to play in an attractive way."

AS Roma 0-1 Udinese Calcio

A solitary first-half strike from Sulley Ali Muntari gave Udinese a creditable one-goal win at Roma to maintain their 100 per cent start to the new Serie A season. The side welcomed back Davide Di Michele after the striker had missed the 1-0 victory against league newcomers Empoli FC in the opening fixture of the new campaign last week, although captain Valerio Bertotto was ruled out. He remains doubtful for Wednesday.

Udinese coach Serse Cosmi said: "I am really satisfied with today's performance. We put pressure on Roma and deserved to win. I think that the gap between Serie A's top clubs such as Juventus [FC], AC Milan or [FC] Internazionale [Milano] and the rest of the teams is getting smaller and smaller."

Ionikos FC 1-1 Panathinaikos FC

Panathinaikos are still seeking their first win of the new Greek season after battling from behind to earn a share of the spoils in a fiery encounter at Ionikos. Looking to bounce back following last week's disappointing 2-0 defeat by Olympiacos CFP, the visitors got off to a bad start when they went a goal behind on seven minutes. Ezequiel González equalised from the penalty spot four minutes after the restart, once goalkeeper Arjan Bekiaj had been dismissed, but Panathinaikos could not capitalise and were reduced to ten men themselves when Anthony Šerić was sent off on 77 minutes.

The side also had two players ­ defenders Nasief Morris and Ilias Kotsios ­ sent off against Olympiacos so coach Alberto Malesani handed a debut to Swedish wing­back Mikael Nilsson. Sándor Torghelle, who scored

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

9/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

on international duty with Hungary against Malta last week, also made his Panathinaikos bow as a 69th­minute substitute. Another forward, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, missed the game with a knee injury which also rules him out of the encounter with Udinese, while Flavio Conceição and Emmanuel Olisadebe will both be suspended.

Panathinaikos' captain Ioannis Goumas said: "We didn't want to start the season like this. This draw tastes like a defeat. But we have a long way ahead of us and Panathinaikos are a big team – they will find their way. Now we have the Champions League match against Udinese and will give it our best shot."

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

10/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Domestic League Details Udinese Calcio (Serie A) Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 28.08.2005 v Empoli (H) 1-0 30' Muntari 11.09.2005 v Roma (A) 1-0 32' Muntari 18.09.2005 v Fiorentina (A) 21.09.2005 v Juventus (H) 24.09.2005 v Reggina (A) 02.10.2005 v Lazio (H) 16.10.2005 v Siena (A) 23.10.2005 v Internazionale (H) 26.10.2005 v Ascoli (A) 30.10.2005 v Palermo (H) 06.11.2005 v Milan (A) 20.11.2005 v Messina (H) Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 Juventus 2 2 0 0 5 0 6 2 AS Livorno Calcio 2 2 0 0 3 1 6 3 Udinese Calcio 2 2 0 0 2 0 6 4 AC Milan 2 1 1 0 4 2 4 5 ACF Fiorentina 2 1 1 0 4 3 4 6 US Città di Palermo 2 1 1 0 4 3 4 7 S.S. Lazio 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 8 FC Internazionale Milano 2 1 0 1 5 3 3 9 AS Roma 2 1 0 1 3 1 3 10 UC Sampdoria 2 1 0 1 4 4 3 11 AC Chievo Verona 2 1 0 1 1 1 3 12 AC Siena 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 13 Ascoli Calcio 1898 2 0 2 0 1 1 2 14 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 15 FC Messina Peloro 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 16 US Lecce 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 17 Parma FC 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 18 Reggina Calcio 2 0 0 2 2 6 0 19 Treviso FC 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 20 Empoli FC 2 0 0 2 0 5 0

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

11/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Domestic League Details Panathinaikos FC (Ethniki Kategoria) Date Opponent Res Goalscorers 28.08.2005 v Olympiacos (H) 0-2 11.09.2005 v Ionikos (A) 1-1 52' Gonzalez Rank Clubs Pld W D L GF GA Pts 1 Olympiacos CFP 2 2 0 0 7 0 6 2 AEK Athens FC 2 1 1 0 2 0 4 3 Larissa FC 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 4 Egaleo FC 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 5 Apollon Kalamarias FC 2 1 1 0 3 2 4 6 Skoda Xanthi FC 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 7 Akratitos FC 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 8 Atromitos FC 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 9 Ionikos FC 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 10 Levadiakos FC 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 11 OFI Crete FC 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 12 PAOK FC 2 0 1 1 2 3 1 13 Kallithea FC 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 14 Panathinaikos FC 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 15 Panionios NFC 2 0 1 1 1 6 1 16 Iraklis FC 2 0 0 2 1 5 0

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

12/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Competition overview Competition Overview How the UEFA Champions League works…

The UEFA Champions League is UEFA's most prestigious club competition. It was originally created as the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the 1955/56 season, before its format and name were changed in 1992.

Real Madrid CF have been the most successful side in the UEFA Champions League, winning the competition three times. They are also the most successful side overall with nine triumphs, followed by six for AC Milan and five for current champions Liverpool FC.

The 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.

Since its inception in 1992/93, the Champions League has continued to evolve, maintaining a mixture of round- robin group matches as well as its traditional knockout format. 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. If during extra time both teams score the same number of goals, away goals count double (ie the visiting team advances). If no goals are scored during extra time, the winner is decided by penalty kicks. The two teams that advance from the knockout round contest the final, held as a single match in May.

The European Champion Clubs' Cup was a purely knockout competition until the format was changed in 1992/93 with the inception of the Champions League. That year the competition began with three knockout rounds with the winners advancing to a group stage involving two sets of four clubs playing home and away. The two group winners contested the final. A similar format was used the following season, with the addition of a two-legged semi-final stage involving the top two clubs from both groups.

The competition expanded further for the 1994/95 season with one preliminary round required before the clubs divided into four groups of four clubs. The top two clubs in each group advanced to the knockout stage, which this time began at the quarter-final stage. The 1997/98 season saw another phase of expansion. Two qualifying rounds were introduced and the group stage expanded to six groups of four clubs each. The six group winners and the two best runners-up advanced to the knockout stages.

An additional qualifying round was introduced for the 1999/2000 season to generate two group stages, firstly with 32 teams - eight groups of four - who played six matches apiece to reduce the competition to 16 teams for the second group stage, with the eight third-placed teams moving to the UEFA Cup third round. At the end of the second group stage, eight teams remained to contest the knockout stage.

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

13/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Notices Out-of-competition tests welcomed Clubs taking part in the UEFA Champions League this season have reacted positively to UEFA's decision to introduce out-of-competition doping controls.

Full details The 32 sides setting out in the group stage of European club football's most prestigious tournament later this month have been supplied with full details of the out-of-competition programme and have been appraised of how they will be expected to co-operate in its implementation.

Weekly whereabouts All players registered for the Champions League will become part of the 2005/06 UEFA Out-of-Competition Pool. The players will remain in this pool until their team is eliminated. Clubs will also provide UEFA with weekly reports of the whereabouts of their players.

UEFA DCOs Under the out-of-competition procedure, UEFA Doping Control Officers (DCOs) will be responsible for collecting samples, and will come unannounced to a location designated by the club. Up to ten players can be tested. UEFA's anti-doping panel may decide to nominate the players to be tested, or instruct the DCO to conduct a draw.

Reporting regulations Drawn players who are not present will have 60 minutes to report to the doping control location – should a player drawn for testing not report to the doping control location, the DCO will submit a missed test report to UEFA.

Information system "Out-of-competition testing is part of the requirements from the World Anti-Doping Code," said Marc Vouillamoz, head of the UEFA anti-doping unit. "We have put in place a whereabouts information system which can be implemented at team level. The launch of the out-of-competition testing programme will increase the deterrence factor."

Club sessions Clubs are being asked to organise information sessions for all players concerned to advise them of their responsibilities, and each player is being briefed about UEFA's out-of-competition testing directives.

Anti-doping activities The move is part of UEFA's reinforcement of its anti-doping activities, which has seen an increase in the number of drugs tests in its tournaments, 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.

Anti-doping programme Associations and clubs taking part in UEFA competitions are being asked to assist UEFA in implementing the anti-doping scheme. Under UEFA's new anti-doping regulations, which came into force on 1 June, these doping controls may include blood and/or urine samples.

LEGEND European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA F: Final(s) ECCC: Champions League GS: Group stage UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup GS1: First group stage UCUP: UEFA Cup GS2: Second group stage UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup PR: Preliminary round SCUP: UEFA Super Cup QF: Quarter-finals

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

14/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

AP: Appearances QR: Qualifying round DoB: Date of birth QR1: First qualifying round D: Drawn QR2: Second qualifying round GA: Goals against QR3: Third qualifying round GF: Goals for R1: First round L: Lost R2: Second round Pld: Matches played R3: Third round Nat.: Nationality R4: Fourth round No: Number SF: Semi-finals W: Won 1/8: Eighth-finals 1/16: Sixteenth-finals

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

15/16 Matchday 1 - Group C - Wednesday, 14 September 2005 - PRESS KITS UDINESE-PANATHINAIKOS

Disclaimer & copyright Disclaimer & Copyright UEFA Champions League press kits are provided to media by uefa.com. For every UEFA Champions League match, two press kits are issued: Monday at 16:00CET and 20:00CET for Tuesday's matches and Tuesday at 16:00CET and 20:00CET for Wednesday's matches.

Disclaimer Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this press kit is accurate at the time of publication, however 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.

Statistics: Competitions Statistics pertaining to the UEFA Champions League only commence at the start of the 1992/93 season, whereas statistics pertaining to the European Champion Clubs’ Cup commence at the start of the 1955/56 season and include UEFA Champions League statistics. Other statistics included make reference to the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1961/62 to 1998/99), the UEFA Cup (1971/72 to date), the UEFA Intertoto Cup (1995 to date), the UEFA Super Cup (1973 to date) and the European/South American Cup (1956 to 2004). No statistics are provided for the Inter-Cities’ Fairs Cup as this competition was not held under UEFA auspices.

Statistics: Appearances The player appearance statistic is calculated by adding the amount of times the player has been in the starting line-up plud the amount of times the player has been introduced during the course of a match. For the calculation of appearances, all matches - including all qualifying rounds - are included for both UEFA Champions League (UCL) and UEFA club competition (UEFA) listings. UEFA club competitions are defined as the UEFA Champions League (and European Champion Clubs' Cup), the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

23:33:48 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com

16/16