UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEASON 2009/10 MATCH PRESS KIT Olympiacos FC Arsenal FC Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus Wednesday 9 December 2009 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) Group H - Matchday 6 Contents Match background.........................................................................................2 Match facts....................................................................................................4 Squad list.......................................................................................................7 Head coach....................................................................................................9 Match officials...............................................................................................10 Fixtures and results......................................................................................11 Match-by-match lineups...............................................................................14 Competition facts..........................................................................................16 Team facts....................................................................................................17 Legend.........................................................................................................19 This press kit includes information relating to this UEFA Champions 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 Olympiacos FC - Arsenal FC Wednesday 9 December 2009 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus Match background Previous meetings UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 29/09/09 GS Arsenal FC - Olympiacos FC 2-0 London Van Persie 78, Arshavin 86 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Olympiacos FC 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 Arsenal FC 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 Olympiacos FC - record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 05/03/08 KO1 Chelsea FC - Olympiacos FC 3-0 London Ballack 5, Lampard 25, Kalou 48 agg: 3-0 19/02/08 KO1 Olympiacos FC - Chelsea FC 0-0 Piraeus UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 16/03/05 R16 Newcastle United FC - Olympiacos FC 4-0 Newcastle Dyer 18, Shearer 45, 69, Bowyer 54 agg: 7-1 10/03/05 R16 Olympiacos FC - Newcastle United FC 1-3 Piraeus Predrag Djordjević 14(p); Shearer 12(p), Robert 33, Kluivert 68 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 08/12/04 GS Liverpool FC - Olympiacos FC 3-1 Liverpool Sinama Pongolle 47, Mellor 80, Gerrard 86; Rivaldo 27 28/09/04 GS Olympiacos FC - Liverpool FC 1-0 Piraeus Stoltidis 17 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 23/10/02 GS Olympiacos FC - Manchester United FC 2-3 Athens Choutos 70, Predrag Djordjević 74; Blanc 21, Verón 59, Scholes 84 01/10/02 GS Manchester United FC - Olympiacos FC 4-0 Manchester Giggs 19, Verón 26, Anatolakis 66(og), Solskjær 77 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 23/10/01 GS Manchester United FC - Olympiacos FC 3-0 Manchester Solskjær 79, Giggs 88, Van Nistelrooy 90+4 10/10/01 GS Olympiacos FC - Manchester United FC 0-2 Athens Beckham 66, Cole 82 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 07/12/00 R3 Liverpool FC - Olympiacos FC 2-0 Liverpool Heskey 28, Barmby 60 agg: 4-2 23/11/00 R3 Olympiacos FC - Liverpool FC 2-2 Athens Alexandris 65, 89; Barmby 38, Gerrard 66 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 08/11/72 R2 Olympiacos FC - Tottenham Hotspur FC 1-0 Athens Argiroudis 44 agg: 1-4 25/10/72 R2 Tottenham Hotspur FC - Olympiacos FC 4-0 London Pearce 11, 58, Chivers 35, Coates 48 Last updated 09/12/09 13:46:08CET Match background 2 Olympiacos FC - Arsenal FC Wednesday 9 December 2009 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 01/12/65 R1 Olympiacos FC - West Ham United FC 2-2 Athens Bovington 58(og), Polihroniou 81(p); agg: 2-6 Peters 28, 53 24/11/65 R1 West Ham United FC - Olympiacos FC 4-0 London Hurst 23, 43, Byrne 65, Brabrook 82 Arsenal FC - record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 02/11/04 GS Arsenal FC - Panathinaikos FC 1-1 London Henry 16(p); Cygan 75(og) 20/10/04 GS Panathinaikos FC - Arsenal FC 2-2 Athens González 65, Olisadebe 82; Ljungberg 18, Henry 74 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 16/10/01 GS Arsenal FC - Panathinaikos FC 2-1 London Henry 23, 52(p); Olisadebe 50 26/09/01 GS Panathinaikos FC - Arsenal FC 1-0 Athens Karagounis 25 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 09/12/98 GS Panathinaikos FC - Arsenal FC 1-3 Athens Sypniewski 74; Boa Morte 64, 86, Anelka 80 30/09/98 GS Arsenal FC - Panathinaikos FC 2-1 London Adams 62, Keown 75; Pereira Da Silva 87 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 30/09/97 R1 Arsenal FC - PAOK FC 1-1 London Bergkamp 22; Vryzas 87 agg: 1-2 16/09/97 R1 PAOK FC - Arsenal FC 1-0 Thessalonika Frantzeskos 61 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 30/09/81 R1 Arsenal FC - Panathinaikos FC 1-0 London Talbot 53 agg: 3-0 16/09/81 R1 Panathinaikos FC - Arsenal FC 0-2 Athens McDermott 34, Davis 72 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 Olympiacos FC 8 2 3 3 9 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 17 2 3 12 10 41 Arsenal FC 6 4 2 0 5 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 11 6 3 2 16 9 Olympiacos FC have won both their home games in Group H so far and need only a point to guarantee qualification for the last 16 for the second time in three seasons but their toughest test is likely to come on Matchday 6 when section winners Arsenal FC come to Greece. • The Premier League club have dropped only two points in their first five outings and secured first place in the section with a 2-0 defeat of R. Standard de Liège on Matchday 5. Olympiacos, meanwhile, who also reached the first knockout round in 2007/08, held out for a goalless draw at AZ Alkmaar in their most recent fixture and therefore a draw will secure second place, while the Greek champions would also progress should Standard be unable to overcome AZ. Previous meetings • The 29 September fixture between the teams was the first time they had met in a competitive fixture. Although they dominated, Arsenal left it late for the second UEFA Champions League game in succession, goals in the last 12 minutes from Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin finally beating goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis. • Arsenal have lost just two of eleven fixtures against Greek opponents, winning six. The two reverses came away from home, at Panathinaikos FC in the 2001/02 first group stage and PAOK FC in the UEFA Cup first round in 1997/98. Arsenal lost both those games 1-0. Last updated 09/12/09 13:46:08CET Match background 3 Olympiacos FC - Arsenal FC Wednesday 9 December 2009 - 20.45CET (21.45 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus • Olympiacos have won only two of 17 fixtures with English sides, losing 12. The last of those victories, both 1-0, came against Liverpool FC in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage, with the other coming against Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup second round. Match background • Arsène Wenger's side are unbeaten in three away games in Europe's premier club competition, starting with their 2-0 win in Glasgow against Celtic FC in the play-offs. • Two successive wins have improved Olympiacos' home record in the UEFA Champions League. Before this season they had managed just two victories in ten fixtures with four defeats and four draws. Team ties • Zico, who was named Temuri Ketsbaia's successor as Olympiacos coach on Matchday 1, has tasted some success against English opposition this year, guiding PFC CSKA Moskva to a 3-1 aggregate win against Aston Villa FC in the UEFA Cup round of 32 in February. • The Brazilian has faced Premier League sides on six occasions as a coach, winning both home games including a 2-1 triumph against Chelsea FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg while at Fenerbahçe SK. The away leg ended in a 2-0 defeat and elimination, however, and there was also a 1-0 reverse at Newcastle United FC in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage before last season's 1-1 draw at Villa and the defeat at Arsenal on Matchday 2. • As a player, Zico set up all three goals in CR Flamengo's 3-0 win against Liverpool FC in the 1981 European-South American Cup in Tokyo. • On the opening day of 2006/07, Olof Mellberg, then with Villa, had the distinction of becoming the first player to score a competitive goal at Arsenal's new stadium. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, one of only two points Mellberg picked up in eleven Premier League meetings with the Gunners. • Enzo Maresca was an unused substitute for Sevilla FC when they lost 3-0 at Arsenal in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League. • Matt Derbyshire helped Blackburn Rovers FC beat Arsenal 1-0 in an FA Cup fifth round replay in February 2007. Earlier that season he came on as a substitute in a 6-2 defeat for Blackburn at the Arsenal Stadium. • Didier Domi was at Newcastle United FC between 1998 and 2001 and was part of the team beaten 5-0 by Arsenal at Highbury on 9 December 2000.