CSKA Sofia bid to keep Beşiktaş waiting

PFC CSKA Sofia ended a three-game losing streak on Matchday 4 but need to keep that momentum going at home against Beşiktaş JK in Group L if they are to have a chance of reaching the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

• CSKA must win to have a chance of reaching the last 32. Beşiktaş will be through if they win, and a draw will be enough provided SK Rapid Wien fail to win at FC Porto.

Previous meetings
• Fabian Ernst headed the winner in the final minute as Beşiktaş picked up a 1-0 Matchday 1 victory in Sofia in the sides' first Group L meeting.

• The clubs previously met in the first round of the 2006/07 UEFA Cup, with Jean Tigana's Beşiktaş coming out on top, winning 2-0 at home and then drawing 2-2 with Plamen Markov's men after extra-time in Sofia.

• The teams for that latter game on 28 September 2006:
CSKA Sofia: Ivaylo Petrov, Tunchev, Kotev (Jakirović, 88), Dimitrov (Yurukov, 86), Rusev, Dah Zadi (Manolov, 46), Ivanov, Petre, Trica, Tiago Silva, Todorov.
Beşiktaş: Runje, Mehmet Sedef, Gökhan Zan, Burak Yilmaz (Ali Tandogan, 46), Baki Mercimek, Gökhan Güleç (Bobô*, 62), Mert Nobre*, Kléberson (Serdar Kurtuluş, 21), Ricardinho, İbrahim Üzülmez*, İbrahim Toraman*.

* registered to play for the club in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage.

Match background
• Aside from their games against Beşiktaş, CSKA have played three further matches against Turkish sides, losing 3-0 home and away to Galatasaray AŞ in a 2003/04 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie, but winning 3-1 at Kocaelispor in the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Their record in six games against Turkish clubs is thus W1 D1 L4 (W0 D1 L1 at home).

• Beşiktaş have also played CSKA's city rivals PFC Levski Sofia, winning 1-0 in Istanbul and drawing 1-1 in Sofia in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. They have thus drawn both of their previous away games against Bulgarian opponents.

• CSKA ended a four-game wait for a European win – and a three-game Group L losing streak – with a 2-1 win at Rapid on Matchday 4. They have lost both of their Group L home games without scoring, and have won only one of their seven Sofia fixtures in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage. That sole win came against Viking FK in the 2005/06 competition.

• Beşiktaş are unbeaten in seven European away games (four wins and three draws spanning over a year) since a 2-1 loss at PFC CSKA Moskva in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage on 30 September 2009.

Team facts
• CSKA won just four corners in the first four matchdays; fewer than any other side in the group stage.

• Beşiktaş's five group stage goals so far have all come in the second half of their games.

• CSKA's Tiero William celebrates his 30th birthday the day after the game.

• Beşiktaş are two goals shy of scoring their 100th in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League; this is their 63rd game in the two competitions.

• Macedonian coach Gjorgi Jovanovski has not been in charge at CSKA since the day after the 2-0 Matchday 3 loss against Rapid, with former defender Milen Radukanov, 37, having been in temporary command while the club seek a long-term appointment. He is the CSKA's eighth coach this calendar year. Sasho Borisov has been helping him out for European fixtures.

• Beşiktaş coach since June, Bernd Schuster started his career at 1. FC Köln but spent his finest years as a midfielder with FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF and Club Atlético de Madrid, retiring in 1997 with winners medals from three Liga titles, six Spanish Cups, the 1981/82 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the 1980 UEFA European Championship.

• He returned to Real Madrid as coach in 2007, leading them to the title but resigning later the same year.

• Schuster's first game in UEFA competition was a 4-0, 1 November 1978 European Champion Clubs' Cup win against CSKA's capital rivals PFC Lokomotiv Sofia. He was playing for Köln at the time.

• He also played against Bulgaria for West Germany in a 3-2 win in February 1984.