SL Benfica V FC København MATCH PRESS KIT Estádio Do Sport Lisboa E Benf, Lisbon Tuesday, 21 November 2006 - 20:45CET Group F - Matchday 5
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SL Benfica v FC København MATCH PRESS KIT Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benf, Lisbon Tuesday, 21 November 2006 - 20:45CET Group F - Matchday 5 After achieving their first wins in Group F on Matchday 4, both SL Benfica and FC København will look forward to their meeting in Lisbon with renewed optimism. Both teams have moved within two points of second-placed Celtic FC, raising their hopes of progression. With Celtic hosting leaders Manchester United FC in the other game, there is even the chance of a win at the Estádio da Luz lifting one of these sides into second place outright. • At the same time, Benfica and København also run the risk of elimination. Defeat for either will end their prospects of reaching the knockout rounds while a draw will do the same to both if Celtic beat United. • Although the pair are tied on four points, Benfica's superior goal difference - minus one to København's minus three - means they are third. Repeat performance • History repeated itself for Benfica on 1 November as they defeated Celtic. Just as in their 1968/69 European Champion Clubs' Cup tie, they responded to a 3-0 loss at Celtic Park with an identical result on home soil. • A tenth-minute own goal from Celtic's Gary Caldwell’s provided the perfect start before Nuno Gomes became the first Benfica player to find the net in this season's competition when he scored in the 22nd minute. Substitute Andrei Karyaka added the third after 76 minutes. • On the same night, København recorded their first UEFA Champions League group stage win, 1-0 against United. Marcus Allbäck struck the winner in the 73rd minute. • These teams played out a goalless draw in Denmark on Matchday 1 and both suffered two subsequent defeats. Benfica lost at home to United (0-1) and at Celtic (0-3), while København went down at Celtic (0-1) and United (0-3). First visit • København are on their first Lisbon visit and had never met Portuguese opposition before meeting Benfica in September. However, the two clubs whose 1992 merger created the modern-day København both faced the Lisbon giants in the European Champion Clubs' Cup. Benfica defeated Kjøbenhavns Boldklub home and away in the 1969/70 edition and did the same to Boldklubben 1903 in 1977/78. • Benfica are undefeated in eleven previous encounters with Danish opposition and their home record is impressive with five wins out of five, eleven goals scored and just one conceded. • Nuno Gomes recorded his first goals in UEFA club competition against Danish opposition. Playing for Boavista FC against Odense BK in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup, he struck in both a 3-2 away success and 1-2 home loss. • Allbäck has happy memories of Lisbon having scored the final goal in Sweden's 5-0 win against Bulgaria at the Estádio Jose Alvalade in the UEFA EURO 2004™ group stage. Tobias Linderoth also featured in the match. Last updated 20.11.2006 11:19:44CET uefa.com 1 SL Benfica v FC København MATCH PRESS KIT Team facts SL Benfica UEFA club competition milestones • Benfica have a rich history in European football's premier club competition, twice winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup and five times being runners-up. The Portuguese giants first won the trophy in 1961, defeating FC Barcelona 3-2, before defending their title the following season with a 5-3 victory against Real Madrid CF. • Losing finalists in 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988 and 1990, since the creation of the UEFA Champions League, Benfica have twice reached the last eight, losing to Barcelona in 2005/06 and AC Milan in 1994/95. They also enjoyed a run to the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983, losing out to RSC Anderlecht 2-1 over two legs. UEFA club competition honours • European Champion Clubs' Cup: 1960/61, 1961/62 Ten-year record (including current season) • Their appearance in the UEFA Champions League this season is Benfica's fourth in succession, although this is only the third time they have gone beyond the third qualifying round in the last ten years. This season, Benfica booked their place in the group stage thanks to a 4-1 defeat of FK Austria Wien. 1997/98: UEFA Cup - first round 1998/99: UEFA Champions League - group stage 1999/00: UEFA Cup - round of 32 2000/01: UEFA Cup - first round 2001/02: Did not compete in UEFA club competition 2002/03: Did not compete in UEFA club competition 2003/04: UEFA Cup - fourth round (having transferred from the UEFA Champions League, third qualifying round) 2004/05: UEFA Cup - round of 32 (having transferred from the UEFA Champions League, third qualifying round) 2005/06: UEFA Champions League - quarter-finals 2006/07: UEFA Champions League - group stage 2005/06 season Domestic record: Although they could only finish third in the Portuguese Liga in the defence of their title, 12 points behind winners FC Porto and five adrift of Lisbon rivals Sporting Club de Portugal, it was still enough to earn Benfica a place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. European record: Although it was a disappointing season on the domestic front for Benfica, they enjoyed success on the European stage by making it through the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1994/95. A 2-1 victory on Matchday 6 against Manchester United sealed second place in their pool and a Round of 16 encounter against Liverpool FC in the first knockout round. Putting the holders out 3-0 on aggregate, Benfica's run would eventually come to an end at the quarter-final stage with a 2-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of eventual winners FC Barcelona. Key facts • Benfica have played a total of 283 games in UEFA club competition. They had won 135, drawn 68 and lost 80, scoring 486 goals and conceding 299. • The Portuguese club have played 172 times in the European Champion Clubs' Cup, winning 83, drawing 40 and losing 49. They have scored 316 goals and conceded 178. In the UEFA Champions League (group stage to final) it reads: played 28, won ten, drawn ten, lost eight, scored 28 goals and conceded 27. Records Last updated 20.11.2006 11:19:44CET uefa.com 2 SL Benfica v FC København MATCH PRESS KIT UEFA club competition • Biggest win 10-0: SL Benfica v CS Stade Dudelange 05.10.1965, 1965/66 European Champion Clubs' Cup, preliminary round, second leg • Biggest home win 10-0: SL Benfica v CS Stade Dudelange (see above for details) • Biggest away win 0-8: CS Stade Dudelange v SL Benfica 30.09.1965, 1965/66 European Champion Clubs' Cup, preliminary round, first leg • Heaviest defeat 7-0: RC Celta da Vigo v SL Benfica 25.11.1999, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup third round, first leg • Heaviest home defeat 1-5: SL Benfica v Manchester United FC 09.03.1966, 1965/66 European Champion Clubs' Cup, quarter-finals, second leg • Heaviest away defeat 7-0: RC Celta da Vigo v SL Benfica (see above for details) UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only) • Biggest win 3-0: SL Benfica v Celtic FC 01.11.2006, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League, group stage • Biggest home win 3-0: SL Benfica v Celtic FC (see above for details) • Biggest away win 0-2: Liverpool FC v SL Benfica 08.03.2006, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League, first knockout round, second leg • Heaviest defeat 3-0: Celtic FC v SL Benfica 17.10.2006, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League, group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-1: SL Benfica v Manchester United FC 26.09.2006, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League, group stage 0-1: SL Benfica v Villarreal CF 02.11.2005, 2005/06 UEFA Champions League, group stage • Heaviest away defeat 3-0: Celtic FC v SL Benfica (see above for details) Last updated: 9 November 2006 FC København Last updated 20.11.2006 11:19:44CET uefa.com 3 SL Benfica v FC København MATCH PRESS KIT UEFA club competition milestones • Like PFC Levski Sofia, København are competing in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time – a reward for recovering from a 2-1 home defeat by AFC Ajax to eliminate the Dutch outfit with an excellent 2-0 away win in Amsterdam. København, who defeated Myllykosken Pallo-47 in the second qualifying round, are the third Danish team to reach the group stage after Aalborg BK in 1995/96 and Brøndby IF in 1998/99. • It was København's fifth attempt to reach the group stage, with the Danish club having fallen at the final hurdle to S.S. Lazio in the summer of 2001 and Rangers FC two seasons later. They reached the second round of the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1993/94 where they were humbled 7-0 on aggregate by eventual winners AC Milan, for whom Brian Laudrup was among the goalscorers. Their best showing in Europe came in 1991/92 when they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing 3-0 on aggregate to Torino Calcio. UEFA club competition honours • No participations recorded in a UEFA club competition final. Ten-year record (including current season) • Having missed out at the third qualifying round stage of the European Champion Clubs' Cup on two previous occasions, København's qualification for this season's group stage marks their best performance in UEFA club competitions in the past decade eclipsing their UEFA Cup third round effort in the 2001/02 campaign.