Uefa Champions League
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2013/14 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estádio do Dragão - Porto Tuesday 22 October 2013 20.45CET (19.45 local time) FC Porto Group G - Matchday 3 FC Zenit Last updated 03/09/2014 16:58CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Match facts 5 Squad list 6 Head coach 7 Match officials 8 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 10 Group Standings 11 Competition facts 12 Team facts 14 Legend 16 1 FC Porto - FC Zenit Tuesday 22 October 2013 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) Match press kit Estádio do Dragão, Porto Previous meetings Execption in [/mediaservices/presskits/uefachampionsleague/season=2014/round=2000479/day=3/session=1/match=2011803/chapters/previousmeetings Slot [] ExceptionInfo [Error executing child request for /code/PressKits/prevMeetings.aspx.] Inner Exception [Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown.] 2 FC Porto - FC Zenit Tuesday 22 October 2013 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) Match press kit Estádio do Dragão, Porto Match background An old favourite returns to the Estádio do Dragão when FC Porto host FC Zenit on matchday three. • This Group G fixture provides a homecoming for Zenit striker Hulk, who spent four years at Porto between 2008 and 2012. The Brazilian is not the only one who should feel at home at the Estádio do Dragão given that Zenit have won at this venue already this season in their play-off against FC Paços de Ferreira. Previous meetings • Zenit got the better of Porto when the sides met in the 2011/12 group stage. Luciano Spalletti's men won 3-1 at home on matchday two, overturning James Rodríguez's tenth-minute goal with strikes from Roman Shirokov (20, 63) and Danny (72). Porto played the entire second period with ten men after Jorge Fucile's sending-off. • When the clubs reconvened in Porto on matchday six, Vítor Pereira's home side needed to win to qualify while Zenit required only a point. The eventual 0-0 draw left the Russian visitors in second place in the section, a point better off than Porto. Hulk played for Porto in both games. • The teams in Porto on 6 December 2011 were: Porto: Helton, Maicon, Rolando, Otamendi (Belluschi 82), Álvaro Pereira, Defour (Kléber 46), Fernando, João Moutinho, Djalma (Varela 68), Hulk, James Rodríguez. Zenit: Malafeev, Anyukov, Hubočan, Lombaerts, Criscito, Semak, Denisov, Shirokov (Zyryanov 46), Fayzulin (Bystrov 58), Lazović (Bruno Alves 82), Danny. Match background • Porto won all four home fixtures in last season's UEFA Champions League and will be looking to rediscover that form after losing to Club Atlético de Madrid at the Estádio do Dragão last time out. • Zenit are still seeking a first Group G victory having lost at Atlético and then drawn at home with FK Austria Wien. • Zenit did win 4-1 away to Paços in the first leg of their play-off in August, with Roman Shirokov scoring a hat-trick at the Dragão against a side coached last season by Paulo Fonseca. It was their first victory in Portugal and the platform for an 8-3 aggregate triumph. • Aside from their 0-0 draw at Porto two seasons ago, Zenit's other visits to Portugal ended in defeat. They went down 2-0 at SL Benfica in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16 and 4-3 at CD Nacional in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League play-offs, suffering eventual elimination both times. • Porto have never lost against visitors from Russia, although they have posted three 0-0 draws in five matches. Their only two previous home successes both came during their triumphant 2010/11 UEFA Europa League campaign when they beat PFC CSKA Moskva 2-1 in the round of 16 and FC Spartak Moskva 5-1 in the quarter-finals, Silvestre Varela scoring one of the goals in the latter match. Team ties • Hulk scored 54 goals in 99 league appearances with Porto, where he won three Portuguese league titles and the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League. • Spalletti has encountered Portuguese opposition before in the UEFA Champions League group stage, guiding AS Roma to a 2-1 home victory and 2-2 away draw against Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2007/08. • Axel Witsel spent 2011/12 in Portugal with Benfica, making 29 league appearances and scoring once. He faced Porto twice, drawing 2-2 at the Estádio do Dragão but losing 3-2 at home. • Danny earned one win, one draw and one defeat against Porto while at CS Marítimo between 2001 and 2004. • Luís Neto suffered a 5-0 defeat with CD Nacional on his last visit to Porto for a domestic league fixture on 23 October 2011. • Varela appeared as a substitute in Portugal's 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying loss last October away to a Russia side including Aleksandr Anyukov, Vladimir Bystrov, Viktor Fayzulin, Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Shirokov. Kerzhakov scored the only goal. • Steven Defour and Eliaquim Mangala are former R. Standard de Liège colleagues of Witsel. Defour, playing alongside Witsel, suffered a 4-1 aggregate defeat by Zenit with Standard in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round. Defour and Witsel lined up against their Belgian international colleague Nicolas Lombaerts as well as Anyukov, Andrey Arshavin and Konstantin Zyryanov. • Defour faced Arshavin, Kerzhakov, Shirokov and Zyryanov when helping Belgium win 2-0 at Russia in a November 2010 friendly. • In August 2009 Nicolás Otamendi featured for Argentina in a 3-2 friendly win at a Russia team including Arshavin, 3 FC Porto - FC Zenit Tuesday 22 October 2013 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) Match press kit Estádio do Dragão, Porto Anyukov, Denisov, Kerzhakov and Zyryanov. • Marat Izmailov has been a national-team colleague of Zenit's Russia contingent and there are other players with similar international connections in this fixture: Silvestre Varela, Josué and Licá with Danny and Neto (Portugal); Danilo and Alex Sandro with Hulk (Brazil); Otamendi and Lucho González with Cristian Ansaldi (Argentina). 4 FC Porto - FC Zenit Tuesday 22 October 2013 - 20.45CET (19.45 local time) Match press kit Estádio do Dragão, Porto Match facts Porto UEFA milestones and competition statistics • Like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF, Porto are embarking on their 18th UEFA Champions League campaign. Only Manchester United FC (19) have appeared more. • Lucho González has scored in each of the nine seasons he has appeared in the UEFA Champions League – six with Porto and three with Olympique de Marseille. General information • Maicon, out since picking up an ankle injury against Gil Vicente FC on 14 September, his 25th birthday, returned to the side on Saturday as Porto beat second-tier CD Trofense 1-0 in the Portuguese Cup third round. • Six wins and one draw in the opening seven games represented Porto's best start to a Liga season since 2007/08. • Jackson Martínez, the 26-goal Portuguese Liga top scorer last term, has struck in eight of Porto's 11 fixtures in all competitions this season, nine goals in all. • The Dragons are 50 matches unbeaten in the league (41 wins, nine draws), since a 3-1 loss at Gil Vicente FC on 29 January 2012. That is their only defeat in 106 games in the Portuguese top flight. • Porto are 75 games unbeaten at home in the Liga, since 25 October 2008 and a 3-2 loss to Leixões SC. • Porto opened a new club museum on 28 September, the day of their 120th anniversary. International duty • Porto had six players away on senior duty during the international break: Silvestre Varela, Josué (Portugal), Martínez, Juan Quintero (Colombia), Steven Defour (Belgium), Jorge Fucile (Uruguay). • Varela scored the first goal as a Portugal side also featuring Josué beat Luxembourg 3-0 at home last Tuesday and confirmed a place in the FIFA World Cup play-offs. • Fucile was in the Uruguay team that beat Argentina 3-2 on the final day of the South American qualifying to set up a play-off against Jordan. • Defour was credited with assists for both Romelu Lukaku goals as Belgium booked their place at the World Cup with a 2-1 win in Croatia on 11 October. Zenit UEFA milestones and competition statistics • Axel Witsel is suspended following his dismissal against FK Austria Wien; Tomáš Hubočan and Igor Smolnikov are a booking away from a ban after picking up yellow cards on matchdays one and two. • Zenit have lost four of their last five away games in the UEFA Champions League, the sole exception coming when they beat already-qualified AC Milan 1-0 on matchday six last season. General information • Hulk has scored nine goals in his last nine appearances for Zenit, including the second on Friday in a 2-0 win against fellow UEFA Champions League hopefuls PFC CSKA Moskva. • Zenit have won 13 of their last 17 matches in all competitions. • Luciano Spalletti's side are nine games unbeaten at home this season, winning the last seven. • Vyacheslav Malafeev has not played a competitive game this season but is available again after recovering from a calf injury. • Danny has scored 11 goals in all competitions this season; he managed four in 2012/13. International duty • There were 12 Zenit players on senior international duty last week: Roman Shirokov, Viktor Fayzulin, Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Vladimir Bystrov, Oleg Shatov (Russia), Nicolas Lombaerts, Witsel (Belgium), Luís Neto (Portugal), Hulk (Brazil), Danny (Portugal), Hubočan (Slovakia), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Ukraine). • Fayzulin and Kerzhakov were on target as Russia won 4-0 in Luxembourg on 11 October. A goal from captain Shirokov four days later helped seal a FIFA World Cup spot with a 1-1 draw against Azerbaijan.