København v Lokomotiv Moskva background

• #EQUALGAME
This week, football fans watching UEFA Europa League matches in stadiums, online and on TV will witness the premiere of the new UEFA RESPECT TV ads, called #EqualGame. The adverts feature Ada Hegerberg, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and amateur players and will run throughout the season to promote inclusion, diversity and accessibility in European Football with the motto "Everyone has the right to enjoy football, no matter who you are, where you're from, or how you play. More information on the campaign and on the advertisements can be found in the accompanying media release and on the campaign website: www.equalgame.com.

Memories of a 2007 victory may linger for København coach Ståle Solbakken as he leads his side once more against Lokomotiv Moskva in UEFA Europa League Group F.

Previous meetings
• In Solbakken's first spell in charge, København beat Rinat Bilyaletdinov's Lokomotiv 1-0 in a 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage game in Moscow, Morten Nordstrand's penalty settling it.

• The line-ups for that match, on 29 November 2007, were:
Lokomotiv: Pelizzoli, Rodolfo, Spahić. Ivanović, Maminov, Odemwingie (Samedov 46), Sychev (Cociş 85), Traoré, Asatiani, Gurenko, D Bilyaletdinov.
København: Christiansen, Nørregaard, Hangeland, Würtz (Sionko 32), Nordstrand (Aílton 79), Allbäck, Hutchinson, Gravgaard, Antonsson, Wendt, Kvist.

• København's William Kvist and Mikael Antonsson are the only players still at either club who featured in that fixture.

• København have lost just one of their five games against Russian teams (W3 D1 L1 – W1 D1 in Copenhagen).

• Lokomotiv have won five of their six matches against Danish sides – the exception being that reverse to København.

Form guide
• But for a 2-1 loss to Žilina in July's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (in a tie they won 4-3), København would have been unbeaten in 11 European home fixtures: W7 D3 L1.

• Lokomotiv have lost only one of their last five European games on the road: W2 D2 L1.

• Beaten by Qarabağ in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, København have failed to progress in their last three UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.

• Lokomotiv are contesting the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League group stage for a fifth season, and have failed just once to reach the round of 32 – finishing bottom of their group in 2007/08.

Links and trivia
• The journey west from Moscow to Copenhagen is just over 1,550km.

• On-loan Lokomotiv forward Éder scored the extra-time winning goal for Portugal in the UEFA EURO 2016 final against France.

The coaches
• Ståle Solbakken's second coaching tenure at København began in 2013. He has won seven Danish titles with FCK, including five in his first spell from 2006–11. The former Norway midfielder has also led Köln and Wolverhampton.

• Yuri Semin took charge of Lokomotiv for a fourth time in August 2016, having lifted the club's only two Russian titles during his second stint from 1992–2005. He also played for Loko from 1975–77, and coached Dynamo Kyiv to the 2008/09 Ukrainian championship.