Olympiacos CFP v Rosenborg BK Georgios Karaiskakis - Athens Tuesday, 13 September 2005 - 20:45 (CET) Group stage - Group F - Matchday 1 Match officials Referee Stefano Farina (ITA) Assistant referees Andrea Consolo (ITA), Massimo Biasutto (ITA) Fourth official Enrico Rocchi (ITA) UEFA delegate Barry Taylor (ENG) Match preview Olympiacos set greater goals Having gone tantalisingly close to reaching the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League last season, Olympiacos CFP hope to "show their true colours" this term and progress from the group stage for only the second time in ten attempts. 'Early goal' The Greek champions begin their Group F campaign at home to Rosenborg BK on Tuesday with coach Trond Sollied calling on his side to make an early impression ahead of likely tougher tests against Real Madrid CF and Olympique Lyonnais. "There are 18 points up for grabs in the group and we must take as many as we can from each match," said Sollied, a former Rosenborg coach and player whose last experience of Champions League football was at the helm of Club Brugge KV. "If we can get an early goal [on Tuesday] it will certainly boost our chances." False dawns Olympiacos are well used to false dawns in Europe, although they were unlucky not to advance with their tally of ten points in Group A last season. At half-time on Matchday 6 they led Liverpool FC 1-0, and were still on course for the first knockout round at 2-1 down with four minutes to play when Steven Gerrard struck a stunning winner to propel the English team towards the next stage (and eventual glory) and the Piraeus outfit into the UEFA Cup. Olympiacos captain Predrag Djordjević does not envisage such heartbreak this winter, saying: "We're in good shape and want to make a difference this season. We still haven't shown our true colours in this competition." 'Nothing to lose' Sollied, who hails from Norway, believes his knowledge of Rosenborg will be counter­balanced by the visitors' superior match­fitness. "It's an advantage that I know Rosenborg, but we're still at the beginning of our campaign while they're already well into theirs," he said. Djordjević, aware that Rosenborg lie tenth in their 14­ team Premier Division, added: "They've got nothing to lose and that makes them very dangerous. A good result for them could trigger a recovery in their season." Unlucky Kafes? Olympiacos are likely to recall Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Touré and playmaker Rivaldo after they were rested at the weekend, meaning Pantelis Kafes could drop to the bench despite a man­of­the­match performance in Saturday's 5­0 defeat of Panionios NFC. New signing Mihalis Kapsis remains an injury doubt, so Ioannis Taralidis could partner Athanasios Kostoulas in the centre of a four­man defence. In attack, Sollied must decide whether Cyprus forward Ioannis Okkas or Nigerian Haruna Babangida deserves a starting spot alongside Mihalis Konstantinou, another Cypriot. 'Great players' Whoever starts, Rosenborg coach Per­Mathias Høgmo knows both Sollied and Olympiacos well enough to anticipate a difficult game in prospect. "Sollied has already left his mark," said the 45­year­old, who replaced Per Joar Hansen at the helm of the Trondheim­based club last month. "Compared to Panathinaikos, who we played last season, Olympiacos are better organised and stronger in attack and defence. They have great players like Rivaldo, but above all they are tight team. They are at the same level as [Real] Madrid [CF} and [Olympique] Lyon[nais], not below them." Previous meetings Høgmo will hope first­choice goalkeeper Espen Johnsen recovers from a knee complaint to take his place 13:30:16 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com 1/16 Matchday 1 - Group F - Tuesday, 13 September 2005 - PRESS KITS OLYMPIACOS-ROSENBORG between the posts, having already lost defenders Christer Basma and Robbie Russell to injuries. He said of his side's chances: "We've been playing well but just haven't been able to score ­ hopefully we can do that on Tuesday. We expect them to start quickly, but we are well prepared." The teams last met in the Champions League in 1997/98, with a 2­2 draw in Athens following a 5­1 home success in Trondheim ­ scores Høgmo would love to see replicated. Match background Olympiacos start with Rosenborg Two teams whose UEFA Champions League pedigree makes them among the most experienced participants in the event, meet in Group F on Matchday 1. Olympiacos CFP will be taking part in their ninth Champions League campaign and their 51st match in the competition, while Rosenborg BK embark on their tenth season and play their 63rd game. Both clubs were eliminated after the group stage last term, and will be looking for an improved showing this time around. The sides have been drawn together in one previous Champions League campaign, in Group D of the 1997/98 competition. On Matchday 2 they met in Norway, with Rosenborg recording a resounding 5­1 win. Rosenborg then drew 2­2 in Greece, but their group tally of eleven points was not enough to see them through. Roar Strand, still in the Rosenborg squad, was one of the stars of the 5­1 victory with two first­half goals, while Harald Brattbakk registered twice with strike partner Sigurd Rushfeldt also on target. Peter Oforiquaye, aged 17, became the competition's youngest scorer with Olympiacos's consolation. Rushfeldt added two more goals on Matchday 6 in Piraeus, but current Olympiacos co­captains Dimitrios Mavrogenidis and Predrag Djordjević replied for the hosts. Djordjević equalised on 88 minutes to prevent Rosenborg taking three points and reaching the quarter­finals. Olympiacos have played one other Norwegian side in UEFA competition, being paired with Molde FK in Group E of the 1999/00 Champions League. Olympiacos won the home game 3­1 on Matchday 3, with two goals from Giovanni and another from Luciano, but Molde recovered on the next Matchday to claim a 3­2 victory and their only group success. Both teams were eliminated. In their other ties against Greek opposition, Rosenborg have twice encountered Olympiacos's great rivals Panathinaikos FC. In 1996/97 they eliminated the Athens club 3­1 on aggregate after extra time in the preliminary round, to enter the Champions League group stage. Last season Rosenborg renewed acquaintances with Panathinaikos in Group E. The latter won 2­1 on home soil, before Rosenborg dealt a blow to Greek chances of progress with a 2­2 draw at Lerkendal. In the event, Thorstein Helstad's two second­half goals saw Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven into the knockout rounds instead. 13:30:16 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com 2/16 Matchday 1 - Group F - Tuesday, 13 September 2005 - PRESS KITS OLYMPIACOS-ROSENBORG All-time statistics Head-to-head record Date Competition Stage Match Res Venue 01.10.1997 UCL GS Rosenborg - Olympiacos 5-1 Trondheim 10.12.1997 UCL GS Olympiacos - Rosenborg 2-2 Athens Overall record Olympiacos CFP Pld: 2, W: 0, D: 1, L: 1, GS: 3, GA: 7 Rosenborg BK Pld: 2, W: 1, D: 1, L: 0, GS: 7, GA: 3 Home teams record versus clubs from the away teams country Date Competition Stage Match Res Venue 01.10.1997 UCL GS Rosenborg - Olympiacos 5-1 Trondheim 10.12.1997 UCL GS Olympiacos - Rosenborg 2-2 Athens 28.09.1999 UCL GS1 Olympiacos - Molde 3-1 Athens 20.10.1999 UCL GS1 Molde - Olympiacos 3-2 Molde Overall record Olympiacos CFP Pld: 4, W: 1, D: 1, L: 2, GS: 8, GA: 11 Away teams record versus clubs from the home teams country Date Competition Stage Match Res Venue 07.08.1996 UCL QR Panathinaikos - Rosenborg 1-0 Athens 21.08.1996 UCL QR Rosenborg - Panathinaikos 3-0 Trondheim 01.10.1997 UCL GS Rosenborg - Olympiacos 5-1 Trondheim 10.12.1997 UCL GS Olympiacos - Rosenborg 2-2 Athens 14.09.2004 UCL GS Panathinaikos - Rosenborg 2-1 Athens 24.11.2004 UCL GS Rosenborg - Panathinaikos 2-2 Trondheim Overall record Rosenborg BK Pld: 6, W: 2, D: 2, L: 2, GS: 13, GA: 8 Record in Europe Olympiacos CFP Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 82 25 18 39 97 135 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 33 14 6 13 43 47 UEFA Cup 44 20 6 18 57 68 UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 159 59 30 70 197 250 Rosenborg BK Pld W D L GF GA European Champions Clubs' Cup / UEFA Champions League 106 37 24 45 152 178 13:30:16 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com 3/16 Matchday 1 - Group F - Tuesday, 13 September 2005 - PRESS KITS OLYMPIACOS-ROSENBORG UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 4 2 0 2 7 8 UEFA Cup 22 12 2 8 42 37 UEFA Super Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Intertoto Cup 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 132 51 26 55 201 223 13:30:16 CET 13/9/2005 uefa.com 4/16 Matchday 1 - Group F - Tuesday, 13 September 2005 - PRESS KITS OLYMPIACOS-ROSENBORG Players List Olympiacos CFP Current Season All-time UCL League UCL UEFA Num Player DoB Pos Nat Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 29 Theodoros Dougeroglou 16.02.85 GK GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 Erwin Lemmens 12.05.76 GK BEL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 Kleopas Giannou 04.05.82 GK GRE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 71 Antonios Nikopolidis 14.01.71 GK GRE 0 0 2 0 40 0 61 0 Defenders 12 Gabriel Schürrer 16.08.71 DF ESP 0 0 0 0 13 2 15 2 14 Dimitrios Mavrogenidis 23.12.76 DF GRE 0 0 2 0 37 3 46 3 19 Athanasios Kostoulas 24.03.76 DF GRE 0 0 2 1 7 0 11 0 22 Erol Bulut 30.01.75 DF TUR 0 0 0 0 5 0 14 0 25 Spyridon Vallas 26.08.81 DF GRE 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 26 Christos Lisgaras 12.02.86 DF GRE 0 0 n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 30 Anastasios Pantos 05.05.76 DF GRE 0 0 1 0 10 0 13 0 32 Georgios Anatolakis 16.03.74 DF GRE 0 0 2 0 47 1 54 1 Midfielders 1 Pantelis Kafes 24.06.78 MD GRE 0 0 2 1 11 0 35 1 5 Mihalis Kapsis 18.10.73 MD GRE 0 0 0 0 14 0 26 0 6 Ieroklis Stoltidis 02.02.75 MD GRE 0 0 2 2 11 3 27 5 7 Nery