UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE SEASON 2009/10 MATCH PRESS KIT AC Sparta Praha FC København Sparta Praha Stadium, Prague Wednesday 16 December 2009 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) Group K - Matchday 6 Contents Match background.........................................................................................2 Team facts.....................................................................................................4 Squad list.......................................................................................................6 Fixtures and results.......................................................................................8 Match-by-match lineups...............................................................................11 Match officials...............................................................................................13 Competition information...............................................................................14 Legend.........................................................................................................15 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 AC Sparta Praha - FC København Wednesday 16 December 2009 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Sparta Praha Stadium, Prague Match background Previous meetings Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 01/10/09 GS FC København - AC Sparta Praha 1-0 Copenhagen N'Doye 25 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA AC Sparta Praha 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 FC København 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 AC Sparta Praha - record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 04/10/07 R1 Odense BK - AC Sparta Praha 0-0 Odense agg: 0-0 (3-4aetps) 20/09/07 R1 AC Sparta Praha - Odense BK 0-0 Prague UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 26/09/95 R1 Silkeborg IF - AC Sparta Praha 1-2 Silkeborg Duus 52; Lokvenc 21, Nemec 51 agg: 2-2 ag 12/09/95 R1 AC Sparta Praha - Silkeborg IF 0-1 Prague Fernandez 6 European Champion Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 07/11/84 R2 Lyngby BK - AC Sparta Praha 1-2 Lyngby Vilmar 27; Procházka 81, Griga 88 agg: 1-2 24/10/84 R2 AC Sparta Praha - Lyngby BK 0-0 Prague FC København - record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 28/09/95 R1 FC København - SK Hradec Králové 2-2 Copenhagen Tengstedt 27, Tur 72; Urbanek 9, Rehak agg: 2-7 11 14/09/95 R1 SK Hradec Králové - FC København 5-0 Hradec Samec 32, 68, Hynek 39, Cerny 52, Kralove Ptacek 89 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 28/09/83 R1 FC København - FC Baník Ostrava 1-1 Gentofte Koch 7; Lička 6 agg: 1-6 14/09/83 R1 FC Baník Ostrava - FC København 5-0 Ostrava Valek 6, 20, Sreiner 42, 47, Zajaros 86 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 AC Sparta Praha 3 0 2 1 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 2 3 2 4 4 FC København 3 1 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 1 2 2 4 13 Level on points going into Matchday 6, AC Sparta Praha need a win to reach the last 32 and eliminate FC København from the UEFA Europa League, with second place in Group K up for grabs. • Any winner in this match would join section winners PSV Eindhoven in Friday's round of 32 draw, with a stalemate favouring København since it would leave them with a better head-to-head record. Previous meetings Last updated 15/12/09 12:27:05CET Match background 2 AC Sparta Praha - FC København Wednesday 16 December 2009 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Sparta Praha Stadium, Prague • København prevailed 1-0 when the sides met for the first time on Matchday 2. Both of their previous away games against Czech clubs ended in 5-0 defeats. Sparta, however, have yet to triumph – or score – in three home games against Danish opposition, recording two 0-0 draws and a 1-0 defeat. Match background • Sparta competed in two UEFA Cup group-stage campaigns, failing to qualify in both 2006/07 and 2007/08. København took part in the last two UEFA Cup group stages, missing the cut in 2007/08 but making it to the round of 32 last term. • Sparta are unbeaten in their last five European home games, having contested three wins and two draws. • København have lost their last three continental away ties and have not scored away from home in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Team facts • København were founded in 1992 following a merger between Kjøbenhavns BK and B1903 København. B1903 met Czech opposition in the form of FC Baník Ostrava in the first round of the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, going down 6-1 on aggregate. • København are led by former Norway international and coach Ståle Solbakken, who represented the club as a midfielder at the end of a career which took in spells at Lillestrøm SK, Wimbledon FC and Aalborg BK. He won two Danish titles as a player and last season picked up his third since becoming a coach in 2006, making five in total. • Sparta coach Jozef Chovanec represented the club for most of his playing career and was appointed coach for the fourth time in 2009, having also been serving as the club's chairman. He has also led the Czech national team, steering them to UEFA EURO 2000™ without dropping a point in qualifying. • Chovanec has been involved in all of Sparta's games against Danish sides: he played in the 1984/85 European Champion Clubs' Cup second-round tie against Lyngby BK, was coach against Silkeborg IF in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup and club chairman when they took on Odense BK two seasons ago in the same competition. • Chovanec also played against Denmark for Czechoslovakia in two draws and a 1-0 away win. As Czech Republic coach, his side beat Denmark 2-0 at UEFA EURO 2000™, then drew 0-0 at home and lost 2-1 away against the same opponents in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying. • København's Czech right-back Zdeněk Pospěch joined the club in 2008 following a spell at Sparta. • Team-mate and countryman Libor Sionko was also a Sparta player, winning three titles and a Czech Cup between 1999 and 2004. Last updated 15/12/09 12:27:05CET Match background 3 AC Sparta Praha - FC København Wednesday 16 December 2009 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Sparta Praha Stadium, Prague Team facts AC Sparta Praha Formed: 1893 Nickname: Železná Sparta (Iron Sparta) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 34 (2007) Czech/Czechoslovakian Cup: 17 (2008) Ten-year European record (UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2008/09: first round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2007/08: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2006/07: group stage 2005/06: UEFA Champions League group stage 2004/05: UEFA Champions League group stage 2003/04: UEFA Champions League first knockout round 2002/03: second round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2001/02: UEFA Champions League second group stage 2000/01: UEFA Champions League first group stage 1999/00: UEFA Champions League second group stage Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 10-0: Sparta v Anorthosis Famagusta FC 16/09/64, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round first leg • Biggest away win 0-6: Anorthosis Famagusta FC v Sparta 20/09/64, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 1-5: Sparta v FC Steaua Bucureşti 07/09/88, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-0 on three occasions, most recently v Olympique Lyonnais 08/12/04, UEFA Champions League group stage UEFA Cup/Europa League • Biggest home win 4-0: Sparta v Watford FC 07/12/83, third round second leg • Biggest away win 0-2 on three occasions, most recently v NK Maribor 20/08/09, play-off first leg • Heaviest home defeat 2-4: Sparta v Real Sociedad de Fútbol 15/09/98, first round first leg 0-2: Sparta v RCD Espanyol 19/10/06, group stage • Heaviest away defeat 4-0: Neuchâtel Xamax FC v Sparta 15/09/81, first round first leg Last updated 15/12/09 12:27:05CET Team facts 4 AC Sparta Praha - FC København Wednesday 16 December 2009 - 21.05CET (21.05 local time) MATCH PRESS KIT Sparta Praha Stadium, Prague FC København Formed: 1992 Nickname: Løverne (The Lions) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 7 (2009) Danish Cup: 4 (2009) Ten-year European record (UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2008/09: round of 32 2007/08: group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2006/07: UEFA Champions League group stage 2005/06: first round 2004/05: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2003/04: second round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2002/03: first round 2001/02: third round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2000/01: Did not compete in UEFA club competition 1999/00: UEFA Intertoto Cup second round Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 7-0: København v Cliftonville FC 31/07/08, UEFA Cup first qualifying round second leg • Biggest away win 0-6: FK Mogren v København 22/07/09, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round second leg 0-6: Sliema Wanderers FC v København 06/08/03,