Sporting defeat inspires AZ

Having been denied a place in the UEFA Cup final by Portuguese opponents back in 2004/05, Dutch side AZ Alkmaar will have good reason to seek out a positive result in their UEFA Cup Group C opener against SC Braga.

• AZ have appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage since the competition adopted its new format in 2004/05 and have won their way through to the knockout rounds on both occasions.

• AZ came within touching distance of the 2004/05 final as they reached the semi-final, but lost out on away goals against Sporting Clube de Portugal, who went on to lose against PFC CSKA Moskva in the final.

• Beaten 2-1 in the first leg in Lisbon, goals from Denny Landzaat and Stein Huysegems brought Alkmaar back to level terms in normal time. Kew Jaliens then put the Dutch side ahead in extra time only for a Miguel Garcia goal two minutes into added time to win the day for Sporting.

• Those two games marked the only two occasions in their 50-game European career that Alkmaar had met Portuguese opponents.

• Braga are equally inexperienced when it comes to Dutch opponents. The Portuguese team took on BV Vitesse in the first round of the 1997 UEFA Cup, winning 2-0 at home, and clinging on to go through 3-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat in Arnhem.

• Czech side FC Slovan Liberec will host UEFA Cup holders Sevilla FC in the day's other Group C fixture.