UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE 2011/12 SEASON MATCH PRESS KIT Valencia CF (first leg: 1-2) AZ Alkmaar Matchday 12 - Quarter-finals, second leg Estadi de Mestalla, Valencia Thursday 5 April 2012 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Contents Previous meetings.............................................................................................................2 Match background.............................................................................................................4 Team facts.........................................................................................................................6 Squad list...........................................................................................................................8 Fixtures and results.........................................................................................................10 Match-by-match lineups..................................................................................................14 Match officials..................................................................................................................18 Legend............................................................................................................................19 This press kit includes information relating to this UEFA Europa 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 Valencia CF - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 5 April 2012 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Estadi de Mestalla, Valencia Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 29/03/12 QF AZ Alkmaar - Valencia CF 2-1 Alkmaar Holman 45+1, Martens 79; Mehmet Topal 51 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Valencia CF 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 AZ Alkmaar 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 Valencia CF - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 15/03/12 R16 PSV Eindhoven - Valencia CF 1-1 Eindhoven Toivonen 64; Rami 47 agg: 3-5 08/03/12 R16 Valencia CF - PSV Eindhoven 4-2 Valencia Víctor Ruiz 11, Manolev 13(og), Soldado 43(p), Piatti 56; Toivonen 83(p), Wijnaldum 90 UEFA Intertoto Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 03/08/05 SF Roda JC - Valencia CF 0-0 Kerkrade agg: 0-4 27/07/05 SF Valencia CF - Roda JC 4-0 Valencia Rufete 36, 41, 50, Moretti 83 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 11/03/03 2ndGS AFC Ajax - Valencia CF 1-1 Amsterdam Pasanen 57; Kily González 28(p) 27/11/02 2ndGS Valencia CF - AFC Ajax 1-1 Valencia Angulo 90+2; Ibrahimović 88 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 07/11/00 GS Valencia CF - sc Heerenveen 1-1 Valencia Martin Lopez 10; Venema 37 20/09/00 GS sc Heerenveen - Valencia CF 0-1 Heerenveen Kily González 38 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 03/11/99 GS Valencia CF - PSV Eindhoven 1-0 Valencia Claudio López 70 21/09/99 GS PSV Eindhoven - Valencia CF 1-1 Eindhoven Van Nistelrooy 72(p); Claudio López 4 AZ Alkmaar - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 14/12/06 GS Sevilla FC - AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Seville Chevantón 52(p); Arveladze 63, 90+3 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 23/02/06 R32 AZ Alkmaar - Real Betis Balompié 2-1 Alkmaar Arveladze 26, Jaliens 35; Melli 94 ET agg 2-3 (aet) 15/02/06 R32 Real Betis Balompié - AZ Alkmaar 2-0 Sevilla Diego 70, Robert 79 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 14/04/05 QF AZ Alkmaar - Villarreal CF 1-1 Alkmaar Perez 8; Figueroa 72 agg: 3-2 07/04/05 QF Villarreal CF - AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Villarreal Riquelme 13; Landzaat 11, Nelisse 74 Last updated 03/04/12 15:23:12CET 2 Previous meetings Valencia CF - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 5 April 2012 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Estadi de Mestalla, Valencia UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 02/11/77 R2 FC Barcelona - AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Barcelona Rexach 32(p); Kist 69 agg: 2-2 aet (5-4pens) 19/10/77 R2 AZ Alkmaar - FC Barcelona 1-1 Alkmaar Nygaard 41; Neeskens 46 Record versus clubs from opponents' country Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Valencia CF 5 3 2 0 6 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 11 4 6 1 16 9 AZ Alkmaar 4 2 2 0 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 4 3 1 11 9 Last updated 03/04/12 15:23:12CET 3 Previous meetings Valencia CF - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 5 April 2012 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Estadi de Mestalla, Valencia Match background Valencia CF scored four goals in their last two home games against Dutch sides and will look to keep that record as AZ Alkmaar come calling, with the visitors 2-1 up in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final. • Brett Holman put AZ ahead in first-half added time in Alkmaar, and while Mehmet Topal (51) headed the Spanish side level, Maarten Martens (79) struck to give his side a 2-1 win. Previous meetings • This tie is the sides' first meeting in UEFA club competition. • The loss in Alkmaar was Valencia's first in 11 games against Dutch sides, with their record now reading W4 D6 L1 (W3 D2 L0 at home). • Valencia eliminated another Dutch side, PSV Eindhoven, in the round of 16. • AZ's record in eight games against Spanish sides is W4 D3 L1 (W2 D1 L1 in Spain). • AZ have won their last three games against Spanish sides, but have lost two of their three two-legged encounters with Liga clubs. Encouragingly, their only knockout success against Spanish opposition came in the quarter-finals of the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, when they won 2-1 at Villarreal CF and then drew the home leg 1-1. • Valencia have scored four goals in each of their last two home games against Eredivisie sides. Match background • Valencia are unbeaten in eight home games in Europe since a 1-0 loss to Manchester United FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage, six wins and two draws. That run has included 6-1 and 7-0 successes against Bursaspor and KRC Genk, respectively, in the autumn. • AZ have won just once in their last 17 European away games, 1-0 at RSC Anderlecht in this season's round of 32. • The Spanish side lifted the UEFA Cup in 2003/04, beating Olympique de Marseille 2-0 in the final in Gothenburg. They last reached the quarter-finals in 2009/10, losing on away goals to eventual winners Club Atlético de Madrid, drawing 2-2 at home and 0-0 away. • A 2-1 loss at Udinese Calcio in the round of 16 decider ended a ten-match European unbeaten run for AZ, comprising five wins and five draws. • The Kaaskoppen (Cheeseheads) are playing European football in the spring for the first time since 2006/07, when they beat Fenerbahçe SK and Newcastle United FC before bowing out to SV Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Team facts • Valencia are the only side left in the competition from the eight that transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage into the round of 32. • AZ have had 64 shots on target in this season's competition, more than any other side. • Simon Poulsen, Adam Maher, Rasmus Elm and goalkeeper Esteban have started all 11 of AZ's games since the start of the group stage, with Jozy Altidore featuring in every match, but starting just eight. • Esteban and FC Metalist Kharkiv defender Papa Gueye are the only players to have played in a maximum 990 minutes of this season's competition. • Valencia do not have a player who has appeared in all their European games, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League, this season. • AZ forward Altidore played for Villarreal (2008-11) and in November 2008 became the first United States-born player to score in the Spanish league. • Valencia boast Dutch talent in the form of central defender Hedwiges Maduro, a 2008 signing from AFC Ajax. • AZ defender Etienne Reijnen turns 25 on the day of the game. • Maduro and AZ forward Roy Beerens won the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship together, while Maduro, Beerens and AZ defender Dirk Marcellis played at the Beijing Olympic Games for the Netherlands. Last updated 03/04/12 15:23:12CET 4 Match background Valencia CF - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 5 April 2012 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Estadi de Mestalla, Valencia • The son and grandson of famous goalkeepers, Valencia coach Unai Emery had a modest playing career but learned quickly as a coach at Lorca Deportiva CF and UD Almería, with whom he won promotion to the Liga. Valencia chose him to replace Ronald Koeman as coach in 2008. • Valencia have been coached by two Dutchmen, Guus Hiddink and Ronald Koeman; the latter was also once coach of AZ. • AZ coach Gertjan Verbeek spent most of his playing career as a defender at sc Heerenveen, barring a season on loan at Heracles Almelo in 1986/87. He has twice coached Heracles (2001-04 and 2009-10) either side of stints in charge of Heerenveen (2004-08) and, briefly, Feyenoord in 2008/09. AZ brought him in at the start of 2010/11. • Verbeek was Foppe de Haan's assistant at Heerenveen when they lost 1-0 at home and drew 1-1 away against Valencia in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League group stage. Final rounds • The winners will take on Club Atlético de Madrid or Hannover 96 in the semi-finals, playing the second leg at home. Whoever prevails in that tie will be the nominal home side in the final in Bucharest's National Arena on 9 May.