Uefa Europa League
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2018/19 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS GSP - Nicosia Thursday 20 September 2018 21.00CET (22.00 local time) AEK Larnaca FC Group A - Matchday 1 FC Zürich Last updated 22/02/2019 14:53CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 8 Match-by-match lineups 11 Match officials 13 Legend 14 1 AEK Larnaca FC - FC Zürich Thursday 20 September 2018 - 21.00CET (22.00 local time) Match press kit GSP, Nicosia Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams AEK Larnaca FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country AEK Larnaca FC have not played against a club from their opponents' country FC Zürich - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Xhimshiti 32, 27/11/2014 GS FC Zürich - Apollon Limassol FC 3-1 Zurich Chikhaoui 39 (P), 59 (P); Farley 23 Papoulis 9, Gullón 40, 18/09/2014 GS Apollon Limassol FC - FC Zürich 3-2 Nicosia Koch 87 (og); Rikan 50, Yapi 53 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Michailovic 44, Anorthosis Famagusta FC - FC 2-3 Krcmarevic 72; 29/09/1998 R1 Larnaca Zürich agg: 2-7 Sant'anna 12, Bartlett 38, 63 Nixon 35, Hodel 58, FC Zürich - Anorthosis 15/09/1998 R1 4-0 Zurich Bartlett 68, Chassot Famagusta FC 80 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-0 29/09/1982 R1 FC Zürich - Pezoporikos FC Zurich Lüdi 69 (P) agg: 3-2 Theophanous 24, 15/09/1982 R1 Pezoporikos FC - FC Zürich 2-2 Larnaca Vernon 35; Seiler 40, Jerković 50 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA AEK Larnaca FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 FC Zürich 3 3 0 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 6 4 1 1 15 8 2 AEK Larnaca FC - FC Zürich Thursday 20 September 2018 - 21.00CET (22.00 local time) Match press kit GSP, Nicosia Match background Cypriot Cup winners AEK Larnaca came through three qualifying rounds to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage for the second time, whereas their Swiss opponents FC Zürich, who also lifted the domestic cup last season, arrive in Nicosia for their first European encounter of the 2018/19 campaign. Previous meetings • The sides have never met although Pezoporikos, one of the two clubs that merged to form AEK in 1994, took on Zürich in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round, going down 3-2 on aggregate after a first-leg 2-2 draw in Larnaca. In their current guise, AEK have yet to face a Swiss club in European competition. • Perhaps ominously for the Swiss side, Zürich's sole defeat in six matches against Cypriot opposition came in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage – a 3-2 loss at Apollon Limassol, also on matchday one, also in Group A, and also at the GSP Stadium. They won the return 3-1. Form guide AEK • AEK qualified for this season's UEFA Europa League by winning the Cypriot Cup for the second time – and first in 14 years – after coming from behind to defeat Apollon 2-1 in the final. They are in Europe for the fourth successive season and in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the second time, having lost successive play-offs to Czech opposition in the last two campaigns. • AEK won one, drew one and lost one of their three home games in the 2011/12 group stage, the 0-5 defeat to Schalke the club's heaviest in European competition. They finished bottom of a section also comprising Steaua Bucureşti and Maccabi Haifa, registering five points. • The Larnaca-based club are unbeaten in seven European fixtures (W4 D3), conceding just one goal during that run. They have not conceded in any of their last seven at home, scoring 20 goals themselves including 12 this term – 4-0 v Dundalk (aggregate 4-0), 5-0 v Sturm Graz (7-0) and 3-0 v Trenčín (4-1). Zürich • Zürich ensured a return to Europe after a year's absence by winning the Swiss Cup for the third time in five years – and tenth time in all – as they denied champions Young Boys the double with a 2-1 win in the Berne final. • FCZ are in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the fourth time and have yet to progress to the knockout phase. They did, however, reach the round of 32 on their sole UEFA Cup group stage participation, in 2007/08. • The Swiss club are without a win in seven European away fixtures (D2 L5) since overcoming Spartak Trnava 3-1 in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs. That is Zürich's only win in their last 16 European away games (D4 L11) and they have yet to claim a victory on their travels in nine UEFA Europa League group stage encounters. Links and trivia • Zürich defender Alain Nef scored on his international debut for Switzerland in a Geneva friendly against Cyprus in August 2008. His current coach Ludovic Magnin appeared alongside him, while AEK assistant coach Elias Charalambous played for the opposition. The coaches • A former Spanish international full-back who spent the vast majority of his career in Bilbao at Athletic Club, Andoni Iraola did not finish playing until November 2016, after 18 months of MLS football with New York City, and had no major coaching experience when he was announced as AEK's new manager in June 2018 in succession to compatriot Imanol Idiakez. He was a stalwart of the Athletic side that finished runners-up to Atlético Madrid in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, and appeared in three Copa del Rey finals. • A Swiss international left-back from 2000 to 2010 who won 62 caps for his country and appeared at four successive major tournaments, Ludovic Magnin spent most of that time in Germany with Werder Bremen and Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga with both, before ending his career back in his homeland with Zürich. It was with FCZ's youth teams that he made his first steps as a coach before graduating to the top job in February 2018 and steering the club to Swiss Cup glory three months later. 3 AEK Larnaca FC - FC Zürich Thursday 20 September 2018 - 21.00CET (22.00 local time) Match press kit GSP, Nicosia Team facts AEK Larnaca FC Formed: 1994 Nickname: The Green Yellows, The Guardians UEFA club competition honours • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) Cypriot Cup: 2 (2018) Ten-year record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2017/18: play-offs 2016/17: play-offs 2015/16: third qualifying round 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA competition 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA competition 2011/12: group stage 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 5-0 three times, most recently v Sturm Graz 16/08/18, UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg • Biggest away win 0-8: Floriana v AEK 14/07/11, UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AEK v Schalke 20/10/11, UEFA Europa League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 4-0: Maccabi Petach-Tikva v AEK 26/08/04, UEFA Cup second qualifying round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 5-0 twice, most recently v Sturm Graz (see above) • Biggest away win 0-8: Floriana v AEK (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AEK v Schalke (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 4-0: Maccabi Petach-Tikva v AEK (see above) FC Zürich Formed: 1896 Nickname: Der Stadtclub (The City Club) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 12 (2009) Swiss Cup: 10 (2018) Ten-year record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2017/18: did not take part in UEFA club competition 4 AEK Larnaca FC - FC Zürich Thursday 20 September 2018 - 21.00CET (22.00 local time) Match press kit GSP, Nicosia 2016/17: group stage 2015/16: third qualifying round 2014/15: group stage 2013/14: third qualifying round 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2011/12: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: UEFA Champions League group stage 2008/09: first round Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 7-0: Zürich v Brotnjo 22/06/02, UEFA Intertoto Cup first round first leg • Biggest away win 0-7: KA Akureyri v Zürich 22/09/70, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: Zürich v Bayer Leverkusen 19/12/07, UEFA Cup group stage • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Real Madrid v Zürich 07/05/64, European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 4-0 twice, most recently v Anorthosis Famagusta 15/09/98, first round first leg • Biggest away win 0-3: Sliema Wanderers v Zürich 12/08/99, qualifying round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: Zürich v Bayer Leverkusen (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: Kaiserslautern v Zürich 03/10/79, first round second leg 4-0: Benfica v Zürich 08/12/82, third round second leg 5 AEK Larnaca FC - FC Zürich Thursday 20 September 2018 - 21.00CET (22.00 local time) Match press kit GSP, Nicosia Squad list AEK Larnaca FC Current season All-time QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No.