Uefa Champions League
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadium Krasnodar - Krasnodar Tuesday 24 November 2020 18.55CET (20.55 local time) FC Krasnodar Group E - Matchday 4 Sevilla FC Last updated 23/11/2020 03:34CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Match background 2 Legend 5 1 FC Krasnodar - Sevilla FC Tuesday 24 November 2020 - 18.55CET (20.55 local time) Match press kit Stadium Krasnodar, Krasnodar Match background Krasnodar let slip a two-goal lead to lose at Sevilla last time out and are still awaiting their first UEFA Champions League win as they welcome the Spanish side to Russia. • Early goals from Magomed Suleymanov (17) and Marcus Berg (21), a penalty, put the Russian side in charge at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on 4 November and, though Ivan Rakitić halved Sevilla's deficit in the 42nd minute, the home side's hopes suffered a further setback when Jesús Navas was sent off just before the break. However, Youssef En-Nesyri climbed off the Sevilla bench to score twice in four minutes (69, 72) and snatch a memorable victory. • That kept Sevilla level with Chelsea on seven points at the top of Group E, with Krasnodar and Rennes both on one point after three games. If Sevilla prevail in Russia and Chelsea win at Rennes in Group A's other Matchday 4 encounter, both will be guaranteed a top-two finish. Previous meetings • The sides were drawn together in the same UEFA Europa League section in 2018/19, Krasnodar winning 2-1 in Russia thanks to strikes in the final 20 minutes from Mauricio Pereyra and, two minutes from time, Tornike Okriashvili after Charles Kaboré's first-half own goal had put Sevilla in front. • The Spanish side turned the tables in Spain, Wissam Ben Yedder scoring twice and Éver Banega once in a 3-0 Matchday 6 win that meant Sevilla won the section from Krasnodar on head-to-head record after both sides had finished with 12 points. Both clubs would go out in the round of 16. Form guide Krasnodar • Having marked their UEFA Champions League group stage debut with a first point in the competition thanks to a 1-1 draw at Rennes, Krasnodar went on to lose 4-0 at home to Chelsea before defeat in Seville. • Krasnodar are the seventh Russian club to compete in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and the first newcomers from the country since Rostov in 2016/17. • This is only Krasnodar's seventh season in UEFA competition – they have featured every year since making their debut in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League. In 2019/20, they were eliminated by Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League play-offs and went on to finish third in their UEFA Europa League section behind Basel and Getafe, picking up nine points from their six matches (W3 L3). • Third in the Russian Premier League for the second season in a row in 2019/20, Krasnodar had only played four European Cup matches before 2020/21. The first ended in a 1-0 home defeat by Porto in the 2019/20 third qualifying round first leg, only for them to then turn round the tie with a remarkable 3-2 victory in Portugal in which they led 3-0 at half-time. However, Olympiacos proved too strong for Murad Musayev's team in the play-offs, winning 4-0 in Greece and 2-1 in Russia. • Krasnodar had no such problems in this season's play-off, winning both legs of their tie against Greek club PAOK 2- 1 with Rémy Cabella scoring the winner in each game. • The Bulls have won two of their five home games against Spanish visitors (D1 L2), most recently losing 2-1 against Getafe last season. • Home and away, Krasnodar have won only two of their 11 matches against Spanish clubs, losing eight. Sevilla • The Spanish side opened Group E with a goalless draw at Chelsea before home wins against Rennes (1-0) and Krasnodar. • This is Sevilla's sixth UEFA Champions League group stage campaign, and a first since 2017/18, when they reached the quarter-finals. They have qualified for the knockout phase in all but one of the previous five participations. • Julen Lopetegui's side won the UEFA Europa League in 2019/20, beating Internazionale 3-2 in the final. It was the club's record-extending sixth triumph in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, all since 2006. • Sevilla finished first in their UEFA Europa League group last season with 15 points having won all but one of their matches, then ousted CFR Cluj on away goals in the round of 32 (1-1 a, 0-0 h) before wins in one-off ties in Germany against Roma (2-0), Wolves (1-0), Manchester United (2-1) and Inter. • Fourth in Spain in 2019/20, Sevilla won their section in each of their first two UEFA Champions League campaigns and, after finishing third in 2015/16 – when they went on to complete a hat-trick of UEFA Europa League wins – they have been group runners-up in their two most recent seasons in the competition. 2 FC Krasnodar - Sevilla FC Tuesday 24 November 2020 - 18.55CET (20.55 local time) Match press kit Stadium Krasnodar, Krasnodar • In September, Sevilla lost 2-1 after extra time to European champions Bayern München in the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest. It was their fifth defeat in the match in six appearances. • The defeat by Bayern was just Sevilla's fifth loss in their last 33 European matches (W23 D5). • Sevilla have won 18 of their 33 matches in the UEFA Champions League group stage, losing eight. • The Andalusian side have won only one of their nine games in Russia (D4 L4), 1-0 against Lokomotiv Moskva en route to lifting the 2005/06 UEFA Cup. They have been beaten on each of their last two visits, most recently that 2018 game at Krasnodar. • Sevilla lost 5-1 at Spartak Moskva on Matchday 3 of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League; that remains their heaviest defeat in the competition. Links and trivia • Sergi Gómez was an unused substitute as Celta Vigo won 2-0 at Krasnodar in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg to progress 4-1 on aggregate. • Have played together: Rémy Cabella & Lucas Ocampos (Marseille 2015/16) • Has played in Spain: Wanderson (Getafe 2015/16) • Ivan Rakitić scored the decisive penalty as Croatia beat hosts Russia in a shoot-out in the 2018 FIFA World Cup quarter-final; Yuri Gazinski was a substitute for Russia. Latest news Krasnodar • Eleven Krasnodar players made their debuts in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, on Matchday 1, including 34-year-old striker Marcus Berg. • Krasnodar have picked up 21 points from their first 15 league games of 2020/21, eight fewer than at the same stage of last season. A 3-1 loss at Zenit on 8 November was their third successive defeat. • The Bulls were without a win in six matches in all competitions, and had lost five successive games, before Saturday's 1-0 home win against Tambov. • Krasnodar were without a clean sheet in 15 games, since a 2-0 home league win against Arsenal Tula on 18 August, before Saturday's victory. • The 7-2 win at home to Khimki on 18 September was the first time Krasnodar have ever scored seven goals in a game. It was their biggest margin of victory since a 5-0 home success against Anzhi on 31 March 2019. • Viktor Claesson's opening goal could not prevent Sweden suffering a 4-2 defeat away to France in the UEFA Nations League on 17 November. • Right-back Igor Smolnikov missed Russia's November matches with a hamstring injury, but played 67 minutes for Krasnodar at the weekend. • Sergei Petrov will be out of action for the rest of this year with a hamstring injury suffered in Rennes on Matchday 1. • Wanderson (out since 22 September) and Egor Sorokin (out since 20 October) returned on Matchday 3 after minor injuries. Sorokin was sent off at the weekend against Tambov. Sevilla • Sergio Escudero and Nemanja Gudelj both made their 50th appearance in UEFA club competition on Matchday 3. • Sevilla's first game of the season was that extra-time defeat by Bayern München in the UEFA Super Cup on 24 September. • Julen Lopetegui's side ended a three-match losing Liga run with a 1-0 home win against Osasuna on 7 November. • Sevilla had only one victory in six games in all competitions (D2 L3) before Matchday 3, but have now won their last three fixtures. They were 4-2 victors at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday, Escudero and Munir scoring in the final five minutes to clinch the points. • A 3-1 Liga win at Cádiz on 27 September is Sevilla's only away victory this season (D2 L3). • The 1-0 loss to Eibar on 24 October was Sevilla's first home defeat in all competitions since a 2-1 reverse against Villarreal on 15 December 2019, ending a 14-match unbeaten run at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán (W8 D6). • A 1-0 defeat at Granada on 17 October ended Sevilla's 18-match unbeaten Liga run (W10 D8), and was their first loss since a 2-1 reverse at Celta on 9 February. 3 FC Krasnodar - Sevilla FC Tuesday 24 November 2020 - 18.55CET (20.55 local time) Match press kit Stadium Krasnodar, Krasnodar • Gudelj played all 120 minutes as Serbia lost on penalties to Scotland in their UEFA EURO 2020 play-off final, converting a spot kick in his side's 5-4 shoot-out defeat after a 1-1 draw in Belgrade.