Peseiro stuck in the stands

Peseiro sidelined
Peseiro will be watching the game at the De Kuip stadium from the stands after being dismissed from the pitch for straying outside the technical area and berating one of the assistant referees during the first leg, but he looks to be the Lisbon side's biggest absentee.

Injury doubt
Central defender Anderson Polga limped off during Sporting's 0-0 SuperLiga draw against UD Leiria at the weekend, and is in doubt for the game, but Cameroonian forward Roudolphe Douala is back in the squad after a month's absence, with Miguel Garcia and Rodrigo Tello also travelling to Rotterdam.

Mystery XI
"We don't know yet who is going play in the first XI, but I am very motivated to play this match," said young midfield player João Moutinho, an unused substitute in the first leg. "Obviously we will feel the absence of our coach, but our goal is to fight against that and win the match."

Utrecht win
Feyenoord will be in no mood to roll over and accept defeat on home soil, however, and after a 2-0 win at FC Utrecht in their weekend Eredivisie game, in which striker Dirk Kuijt scored his 20th goal of the season, Ruud Gullit's side will be determined to make home advantage count against Sporting.

Youngster promoted
Injuries to Pascal Bosschaart, Hossam Ghaly, Patrick Mtiliga and Christian Gyan have persuaded Gullit to bring 19-year-old defender Mark van den Boogaart into his matchday squad, while there is no place for Leonardo and Sebastián Pardo in the party, while Alexander Östlund and André Bahia are both ineligible.

Pauuwe prospect
Former captain Patrick Paauwe will equal Wim Jansen's club record of 52 European appearances if he takes the field against Sporting, but he was hardly awestruck at the prospect. "Breaking the record, is not something that is on my mind," he said. "I just think: 'when it comes, it comes'."

Unusual preparation
The 29-year-old underlined his calm persona, adding: "I was meant to be helping my brother Cees paint his house on Monday and Tuesday. That would not have interrupted my preparation for the Sporting game, whereas it would have in the past. I only didn't do it because Cees already got other painters in."