UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010/11 SEASON MATCH PRESS KIT Arsenal FC SC Braga Group H - Matchday 1 Arsenal Stadium, London Wednesday 15 September 2010 20.45CET (19.45 local time) Contents Previous meetings.............................................................................................................2 Match background.............................................................................................................4 Match facts........................................................................................................................5 Squad list...........................................................................................................................8 Head coach.....................................................................................................................10 Match officials..................................................................................................................11 Fixtures and results.........................................................................................................13 Match-by-match lineups..................................................................................................15 Competition facts.............................................................................................................17 Team facts.......................................................................................................................18 Legend............................................................................................................................21 This press kit includes information relating to this UEFA Champions League match. For more detailed factual information, and in-depth competition statistics, please refer to the matchweek press kit, which can be downloaded at: http://www.uefa.com/uefa/mediaservices/presskits/index.html Arsenal FC - SC Braga Wednesday 15 September 2010 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Arsenal Stadium, London Previous meetings Head to Head None Arsenal FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 09/03/10 KO1 Arsenal FC - FC Porto 5-0 London Bendtner 10, 25, 90+1(p), Nasri 63, agg: 6-2 Eboué 66 17/02/10 KO1 FC Porto - Arsenal FC 2-1 Porto Varela 11, Falcao 51; Campbell 18 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 10/12/08 GS FC Porto - Arsenal FC 2-0 Porto Bruno Alves 39, Lisandro 54 30/09/08 GS Arsenal FC - FC Porto 4-0 London Van Persie 31, 48, Adebayor 40, 71(p) UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 06/12/06 GS FC Porto - Arsenal FC 0-0 Porto 26/09/06 GS Arsenal FC - FC Porto 2-0 London Henry 38, Hleb 48 European Champion Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 06/11/91 R2 Arsenal FC - SL Benfica 1-3 London Pates 19; Isaías 35, 19 Ex, Kulkov 10 agg: 2-4 (aet) Ex 23/10/91 R2 SL Benfica - Arsenal FC 1-1 Lisbon Isaías 15; Campbell 18 SC Braga - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 23/10/08 GS SC Braga - Portsmouth FC 3-0 Braga Aguiar 8, Renteria 46, Alan 87 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 25/10/07 GS Bolton Wanderers FC - SC Braga 1-1 Bolton Diouf 66; Jailson 87 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 14/03/07 R16 Tottenham Hotspur FC - SC Braga 3-2 London Berbatov 28, 42, Malbranque 76; agg: 6-4 Huddlestone 24(og), Andrade 61 08/03/07 R16 SC Braga - Tottenham Hotspur FC 2-3 Braga Paulo Jorge 76, Zé Carlos 81; Keane 57, 90+2, Malbranque 72 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 03/10/84 R1 Tottenham Hotspur FC - SC Braga 6-0 London Stevens 11, Hughton 16, Crooks 27, 58, agg: 9-0 83, Falco 66 19/09/84 R1 SC Braga - Tottenham Hotspur FC 0-3 Braga Falco 32, 42, Galvin 44 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 01/11/78 R2 West Bromwich Albion FC - SC Braga 1-0 West Brown 46 agg: 3-0 Bromwich 18/10/78 R2 SC Braga - West Bromwich Albion FC 0-2 Braga Regis 50, 51 Record versus clubs from opponents' country Last updated 14/09/10 00:42:53CET 2 Previous meetings Arsenal FC - SC Braga Wednesday 15 September 2010 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Arsenal Stadium, London Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Arsenal FC 4 3 0 1 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 8 3 2 3 14 8 SC Braga 4 1 0 3 4 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 8 1 1 6 8 19 Last updated 14/09/10 00:42:53CET 3 Previous meetings Arsenal FC - SC Braga Wednesday 15 September 2010 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Arsenal Stadium, London Match background Arsenal FC's first opponents in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League are a Portuguese side who have strong connections with the London outfit. SC Braga, nicknamed the Arsenalistas because the clubs share the same colours, make their debut appearance in the competition proper at the Arsenal Stadium. Previous meetings • The sides have never met before in UEFA competition but Portuguese teams have not fared well when visiting Arsenal in recent years. In last season's UEFA Champions League round of 16, FC Porto lost 5-0 in north London, Nicklas Bendtner grabbing a hat-trick and Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboué both joining him on the scoresheet. • Porto also lost 4-0 at Arsenal in the previous season's group stage, when Robin van Persie scored twice, and 2-0 in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage, the Gunners' first match in the competition proper at the new stadium following their move from Highbury. Only SL Benfica of Arsenal's Portuguse Liga visitors left with a victory, winning 3-1 in the 1991/92 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round second leg. • Braga have twice been involved in fixtures at nearby White Hart Lane. On both occasions Tottenham Hotspur FC were victorious, coming through 3-2 in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16 to complete a 6-4 aggregate triumph and winning 6-0 in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup first round second leg – Braga's heaviest defeat in UEFA competition – and 9-0 overall. In four visits to England Braga have suffered three defeats, their most recent trip – to Bolton Wanderers FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage – ending 1-1. Match background • Arsenal, who are taking part in their 13th UEFA Champions League campaign, have not failed to progress beyond the initial group stage in the last ten seasons. In the last three years they have made it through to the quarter-finals or better. • Only Manchester United FC, who beat Arsenal in the 2008/09 semi-finals, have won in north London in the 24 UEFA Champions League games, including qualifiers, at the Arsenal Stadium. Before United's win Arsène Wenger's men had boasted a five-year unbeaten home run in the competition, bridging their two grounds. • Last season Arsenal won all five home games, play-off round included, before FC Barcelona held them to a 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals en route to a 6-3 aggregate win. They started the group stage with a 3-2 success at R. Standard de Liège, their fifth Matchday 1 victory in six attempts. The 2008/09 campaign featured a 1-1 draw away to FC Dynamo Kyiv in their first game. • Braga lost home (1-2) and away (0-2) to IF Elfsborg in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. • The Portuguese side finished second in the 2009/10 Liga and ousted Celtic FC in the third qualifying round, a 3-0 first-leg win at home enough despite a 2-1 reverse in Glasgow. Sevilla FC were then shocked in the play-offs, Braga winning 1-0 at home and 4-3 in Spain to seal a famous triumph. Team ties • When, in 1921, Braga changed their team shirts from two large green and white vertical stripes, they took Arsenal's red-and-white colours as their inspiration. Since then they have been known as Minho's Arsenalistas (Arsenal from Minho). Last updated 14/09/10 00:42:53CET 4 Match background Arsenal FC - SC Braga Wednesday 15 September 2010 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Arsenal Stadium, London Match facts Arsenal UEFA milestones • Arsenal's next defeat in UEFA competition will be their 50th. UEFA Champions League statistics • None Latest domestic information • Saturday 11 September: Arsenal FC 4-1 Bolton Wanderers FC (Koscielny 24, Chamakh 58, Song 78, Vela 83; Elmander 44) Almunia; Eboué, Koscielny, Squillaci, Gibbs; Rosický, Fàbregas, Song, Wilshere (Diaby 59; Denilson 72); Arshavin; Chamakh (Vela 81) • Arsenal extended their unbeaten start to the season to four matches against a Bolton side that finished with ten men following Gary Cahill's 64th-minute red card. The Gunners have won their last three games. • Laurent Koscielny scored his first goal for Arsenal while another summer signing, Marouane Chamakh, has scored on his first two home appearances for his new club. The latter's goal against Bolton was Arsenal's 1,000th under Arsène Wenger. • Sébastien Squillaci made his Arsenal debut in place of the injured Thomas Vermaelen, while there was a first appearance of the season for Kieran Gibbs. • Theo Walcott scored his first club hat-trick in Arsenal's 6-0 home win against Blackpool FC on 21 August. The 21-year-old also hit three in England's 4-1 FIFA World Cup qualifying victory in Croatia on 10 September 2008. • Arsenal will visit Tottenham Hotspur FC in the League Cup third round on 21 September. Injury news • Vermaelen missed the Bolton game with an Achilles problem, while substitute Abou Diaby lasted only 13 minutes before going off with a leg injury. • Robin van Persie has been ruled out until mid-October after suffering an ankle injury against Blackburn Rovers FC on 28 August. • Walcott sprained his ankle in England's win against Switzerland on 7 September and has been sidelined for four to six weeks. • Samir Nasri underwent surgery on a minor knee problem on 18 August. • Nicklas Bendtner has not played since the FIFA World Cup due to a groin injury, while an abdominal strain had prevented Denilson playing this season before his substitute appearance on Saturday.