UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Elbasan Arena - Elbasan Thursday 5 November 2015 21.05CET (21.05 local time) KF Skënderbeu Sporting Clube de Group H - Matchday 4 Portugal Last updated 02/08/2016 00:15CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 13 Match officials 16 Legend 17 1 KF Skënderbeu - Sporting Clube de Portugal Thursday 5 November 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Aquilani 38 (P), Montero 41 (P), Sporting Clube de Portugal - KF 22/10/2015 GS 5-1 Lisbon Matheus Pereira 64, Skënderbeu 77, Tobias Figueiredo 69; Jashanica 89 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA KF Skënderbeu 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 5 Sporting Clube de Portugal 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 1 KF Skënderbeu - Record versus clubs from opponents' country KF Skënderbeu have not played against a club from their opponents' country Sporting Clube de Portugal - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Sporting Clube de Portugal - FK 1-0 06/11/1985 R2 Lisbon Venancio 53 Dinamo Tirana agg: 1-0 FK Dinamo Tirana - Sporting 23/10/1985 R2 0-0 Tirana Clube de Portugal Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA KF Skënderbeu 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 5 Sporting Clube de Portugal 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 6 1 2 KF Skënderbeu - Sporting Clube de Portugal Thursday 5 November 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Match background KF Skënderbeu's first adventure in the UEFA Europa League group stage will be over if they lose to Sporting Clube de Portugal in Group H. Previous meetings • Hamdi Salihi's first-half dismissal heralded a 5-1 defeat for Skënderbeu when they played Sporting on matchday three. It was their first meeting with Portuguese opponents and one of their two heaviest losses in UEFA competition – along with a 4-0 reverse at APOEL FC in a 2011/12 UEFA Champions League qualifier. • Bajram Jashanica's consolation effort in Lisbon was Skënderbeu's first Group H goal and the first an Albanian club has scored against Portuguese opponents. • This is only the sixth fixture between clubs from these nations in UEFA competition. To date, no Albanian side has won (D1 L4). • Sporting's only previous games against Albanian teams were in a 1985/86 UEFA Cup second round tie versus FK Dinamo Tirana that they won 1-0 on aggregate. Form guide • Skënderbeu and FC Dinamo Minsk are the only sides who have lost all three of their group stage games this season. • The Albanian club are the only one of the eight newcomers to the UEFA Europa League group stage this term yet to record a point. FC Augsburg got off the mark with their 1-0 matchday three win at AZ Alkmaar, while FC Groningen's late equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw at Slovan Liberec. • Sporting are without a victory in 16 European away games (D5 L11) since a 2-0 success at FC Zürich in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage. • Skenderbëu are the first Albanian outfit to feature in the group stage of a major UEFA competition. • In five previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, Sporting have only once failed to make it to the round of 32 – in 2012/13. Trivia and links • The journey from Lisbon to Elbasan – where Skënderbeu play their European home games – is around 2,500km. • Skënderbeu midfielder Gerhard Progni turns 29 the day after the game. • Skënderbeu striker Salihi has scored 14 UEFA club competition goals – one more than all of his team-mates combined. • Skënderbeu are one of ten sides in the group stage who qualified for Europe this season as domestic champions, along with Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan), APOEL FC (Cyprus), FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic), FC Midtjylland (Denmark), KKS Lech Poznań (Poland), FK Partizan (Serbia), Celtic FC (Scotland), Molde FK (Norway) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland). The coaches • In charge at Skënderbeu since 2012, Mirel Josa was capped 27 times as a midfielder by Albania and spent the bulk of his career at KF Tirana before finishing up in Greece. He won a title as a coach with Tirana too, and has led his current side to glory in the last three Albanian league campaigns. • A losing UEFA Europa League finalist with SL Benfica in 2013 and 2014, Jorge Jesus unexpectedly left the Eagles for fierce local rivals Sporting this summer. The 61-year-old had started his playing career at Sporting – who his father Virgolino also represented – and had coached Benfica since 2009. 3 KF Skënderbeu - Sporting Clube de Portugal Thursday 5 November 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Team facts KF Skënderbeu Formed: 1909 Nickname: Bardhekuqtë (The White and Reds) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 6 (2015) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2013/14: play-offs (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2012/13: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2011/12: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2006/07: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2005/06: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 4-1: Skënderbeu v Crusaders FC 14/07/15, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg • Biggest away win 0-2: FC Milsami Orhei v Skënderbeu 28/07/15, UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-2: Skënderbeu v APOEL FC 13/07/11, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: Sporting Clube de Portugal v Skënderbeu 22/10/15, UEFA Europa League group stage 4-0: APOEL FC v Skënderbeu 20/07/11, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 1-0: Skënderbeu v FC Chornomorets Odesa 29/08/13, play-off second leg • Biggest away win N/A • Heaviest home defeat 0-1: Skënderbeu v Beşiktaş JK 17/09/15, group stage • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: Sporting Clube de Portugal v Skënderbeu (see above) Sporting Clube de Portugal Formed: 1906 Nickname: Leões (Lions) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Cup: (2005) • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1964 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) 4 KF Skënderbeu - Sporting Clube de Portugal Thursday 5 November 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan League title: 18 (2002) Portuguese Cup: 16 (2015) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition 2012/13: group stage 2011/12: semi-finals 2010/11: round of 32 2009/10: round of 16 (having transferred from the UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2008/09: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2007/08: quarter-finals (having transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage) 2006/07: UEFA Champions League group stage 2005/06: first round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 16-1: Sporting v APOEL FC 13/11/63, European Cup Winners' Cup second round first leg • Biggest away win 0-9: ÍA Akranes v Sporting 17/09/86, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: Sporting v FC Bayern München 25/02/09, UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg • Heaviest away defeat 7-1: FC Bayern München v Sporting 10/03/09, UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 7-0: Sporting v CS Politehnica Timisoara 24/10/90, second round first leg • Biggest away win 0-9: ÍA Akranes v Sporting (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Sporting v Gençlerbirligi SK 27/11/03, second round second leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Celtic FC v Sporting 02/11/83, second round second leg 5 KF Skënderbeu - Sporting Clube de Portugal Thursday 5 November 2015 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Squad list KF Skënderbeu Current season All-time UCL UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Orges Shehi ALB 25/09/1977 38 - 6 - 3 - 8 - 3 - 37 - 12 Erjon Llapanji ALB 10/05/1985 30 - - - - - 2 - - - - - Defenders 3 Renato Arapi ALB 28/08/1986 29 - 3 - 3 - 8 1 3 - 20 - 4 Bruno Lulaj ALB 02/04/1995 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 5 Bajram Jashanica ALB 25/09/1990 25 - 5 - 2 1 8 - 2 1 9 1 19 Tefik Osmani ALB 08/06/1985 30 - 1 - 1 - 4 - 1 - 20 - 20 Ademir BRA 20/09/1985 30 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 11 - 32 Kristi Vangjeli ALB 05/09/1985 30 - 6 - 3 - 6 - 15 - 26 - 33 Marko Radaš CRO 26/10/1983 32 - 6 - 2 - 6 - 2 - 20 1 Midfielders 6 Bekim Dema ALB 30/09/1993 22 - - - - - - - - - - - 7 Gerhard Progni ALB 06/11/1986 28 - 6 1 2 - 9 1 2 - 10 1 8 Bakary Nimaga MLI 06/12/1994 20 - 6 1 3 - 5 - 3 - 14 1 11 Leonit Abazi ALB 05/07/1993 22 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 3 - 11 - 25 Bujar Shabani ALB 11/10/1990 25 - - - - - - - - - - - 27 Liridon Latifi ALB 06/02/1994 21 - 5 1 3 - 7 1 3 - 8 1 30 Esquerdinha BRA 16/11/1990