Levski seek bronze against Sporting
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Article summary
The best PFC Levski Sofia can hope for against Group C winners Sporting Clube de Portugal is a third-placed finish – which would require a home win and a favour from KAA Gent.
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The best PFC Levski Sofia can hope for as they play host to Group C winners Sporting Clube de Portugal is a third-placed finish in the section, and to do that they will need a favour from the side that beat them 1-0 on Matchday 5, KAA Gent.
• Sporting's 12 points mean they are certain to finish top of the group. Levski will finish bottom unless they can beat Sporting and Gent avoid defeat in their crucial game at LOSC Lille Métropole.
Previous meetings
• Daniel Carriço, Maniche, Diogo Salomão, Hélder Postiga and Matías Fernández all scored as Sporting ran out 5-0 winners in the sides' first competitive meeting on Matchday 2.
• Prior to that, Sporting's only experience of Bulgarian opposition came in the second round of the 1982/83 European Champion Clubs' Cup, when they prevailed on away goals against Levski's arch-rivals PFC CSKA Sofia, drawing 2-2 in Sofia and 0-0 in Lisbon.
• Levski's five games against Portuguese sides to date have yielded a record of W1 D1 L3 (W1 D1 L0 at home).
Match background
• Levski are without a win in Group C since beating Gent 3-2 in Sofia on Matchday 1. However, they have yet to lose in five European home games this season, with the 2-2 draw at home against Lille on Matchday 4 ending a four-game winning streak at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium.
• A 3-1 defeat at Gent on Matchday 4 ended Sporting's four-game unbeaten run in European away games, during which they won three and drew one.
Team facts
• Sporting's Liedson celebrates his 33rd birthday the day after the Levski game.
• Sporting's 1-0 Matchday 5 win against Lille was their 100th in UEFA club competition in what was their 236th UEFA fixture.
• The next goal the Lisbon side concede will be the 300th scored past them in Europe.
• Levski coach Yasen Petrov spent one season as an attacking midfielder with the club in 1991/92, as well as representing their local rivals FC Lokomotiv Sofia and FC Slavia Sofia, and clubs in China, Cyprus and Germany. Twice a Bulgarian Cup winner as a player, he earned three international caps and coached four other top-tier clubs before being hired as Levski coach in May 2010.
• Former forward Paulo Sérgio never represented any of the top clubs in Portugal in his playing career, but slowly worked his way up as a coach, enjoying productive spells at FC Paços de Ferreira and Vitória SC before replacing Carlos Carvalhal as the man in charge at Sporting.
