Background: Zenit v Standard Liège
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Article summary
FC Zenit will look to maintain their 100% record at home against Belgian opponents as R. Standard de Liège head east in search of a first win – and a first goal – in Russia.
Article top media content
Article body
FC Zenit can take some comfort in an unblemished home record against Belgian opponents as R. Standard de Liège come to Russia for their UEFA Champions League play-off decider trailing 1-0.
Previous meetings
• Dick Advocaat's Zenit eliminated Michel Preud'homme's Standard in the first round en route to winning the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, winning 3-0 at home and drawing 1-1 in Belgium.
• The teams for the game at the Stadion Petrovski on 20 September 2007 were:-
Zenit: Čontofalský, Anyukov, Hagen, Kim Dong-jin, Lombaerts, Domínguez, Šírl, Tymoshchuk, Zyryanov, Arshavin, Pogrebnyak.
Standard: Renard, Camozzato, Dante, Onyewu, Sarr, Defour, Fellaini, Toama, Witsel (Dufer 82), De Camargo, Mbokani (Lukunku 79).
Form guide
• Following their first leg triumph, Zenit's record in nine UEFA games against Belgian sides is W6 D1 L2 (W4 D0 L0 at home – W2 D1 L2 in Belgium).
• Standard have played five UEFA games against Russian clubs with the record W1 D1 L3 (W1 D1 L1 at home – W0 D0 L2 in Russia). They have yet to avoid defeat – or indeed score a goal – in Russia.
• Standard's only UEFA Champions League group stage campaign to date was in 2009/10. Zenit are bidding to reach the group stage for the fifth time – and for a fourth time in successive seasons.
• Prior to beating Panathinaikos FC in this season's third qualifying round, Standard had not won a UEFA Champions League qualifying tie, losing out to FC Steaua Bucureşti in 2006/07 and Liverpool FC in 2008/09.
• This is Zenit's third UEFA Champions League play-off: they lost out to AJ Auxerre in 2010/11 but beat Portugal's FC Paços de Ferreira last season.
Links and trivia
• Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel was playing for Standard when the clubs last met, with former team-mates Laurent Ciman, Jelle Van Damme, Mehdi Carcela-González and Igor De Camargo still with the Liege club.
• Witsel, Zenit team-mate Nicolas Lombaerts and Standard defender Laurent Ciman were on duty together with Belgium at the recent FIFA World Cup.
• Standard's Liege-born Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Carcela-González played in Russia for FC Anji Makhachkala from 2011-2013.