Beşiktaş v Lokomotiv Moskva background
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Article summary
Beşiktaş held Lokomotiv Moskva to a 1-1 draw in Russia on matchday three and will look to go top of UEFA Europa League Group H with a win in the return fixture.
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Beşiktaş JK and FC Lokomotiv Moskva are both unbeaten in three UEFA Europa League Group H games and a win in Istanbul on matchday four, coupled with Sporting CP failing to overcome KF Skënderbeu, would send the Russian side to the round of 32.
Previous meetings
• Maicon and Mario Gomez traded goals in the space of 11 second-half minutes as Beşiktaş held Lokomotiv to a 1-1 draw on 22 October.
• Nevio Scala's Beşiktaş beat Yuri Semin's Lokomotiv 6-1 on aggregate in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. They won 3-0 at home and 3-1 in Moscow.
• Beşiktaş's eight encounters with Russian teams have ended W3 D2 L3 (W2 D1 L1 in Istanbul).
• Lokomotiv's record in seven games against Turkish sides is W2 D2 L3 (W1 D1 L1 in Turkey).
Form guide
• Beşiktaş have scored once in each of their last six European games, those six goals earning them two wins, two draws and two defeats.
• Beşiktaş made it through last season's UEFA Europa League group stage unbeaten.
• The competition's new identity has played well with Beşiktaş. They failed to progress in all three of their UEFA Cup group stage campaigns, but have been successful in all three of their UEFA Europa League ones.
• Lokomotiv have successfully negotiated two of their previous three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Moscow to Istanbul is around 1,750km.
• The game is taking place the day after Lokomotiv defender Nemanja Pejčinović's 28th birthday.
• Lokomotiv's Baye Oumar Niasse has provided the most assists in the 2015/16 group stage – three.
• With 41 goals, Beşiktaş striker Gomez is the fourth highest-scoring German player in UEFA club competition. He needs two more to join Ulf Kirsten in third place.
The coaches
• Former Trabzonspor AŞ and Turkey goalkeeper Şenol Günes took charge at Beşiktaş in June this year. He famously steered Turkey to a bronze-medal finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has also won two Turkish Cups in the course of four spells as Trabzonspor coach.
• A six-time Tajik international, Igor Cherevchenko lifted four Russian Cups as a Lokomotiv player between 1996 and 2001, and a fifth as coach last season. He is the first man to have won the competition as a player and a coach. He has been on the club's coaching staff since 2008.
