Sporting face up to Fiorentina threat

Sporting Clube de Portugal will need to put aside their poor record against Serie A opposition if they are to pip ACF Fiorentina to a UEFA Champions League group-stage berth.

• Sporting possess a miserable record against Italian sides but at least boast the upper hand at home courtesy of three wins, six draws and two defeats.

• These teams have never met although the Lions will be facing their fourth Italian opponents in five years, having most recently met AS Roma in UEFA Champions League Group F in 2007/08, when they lost 2-1 away and drew 2-2 at home.

• The previous year, they faced FC Internazionale Milano at the same stage, trading 1-0 home wins, and in 2005/06 they fell to Udinese Calcio in the third qualifying round.

• The same phase likewise proved a bridge too far in 2002/03, when familiar foes Inter prevailed 2-0 on aggregate.

• That was also the overall scoreline when Inter defeated Sporting in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup semi-finals, after the quarter-finals had yielded Sporting overall victory over Italian opposition in the shape of Bologna FC.

• Fiorentina's record in Portugal reads one win, no draws and two losses, and they have prevailed in just one two-legged tie against a Portuguese club, beating SL Benfica 2-1 on aggregate in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

• Their other two contests ended in overall losses: on penalties to Boavista FC in the first round of the 1986/87 UEFA Cup and 3-2 on aggregate to Vitória FC in the second round of the same competition in 1972/73. 

Match background

• Runners-up in the Portuguese Liga last term, Sporting opened their bid for a group-stage berth against FC Twente in the third qualifying round. Following a goalless first leg in Lisbon, Twente took an early lead in the Netherlands but succumbed on away goals when a last-gasp header from Lions goalkeeper Rui Patrício prompted Peter Wisgerhof to put through his own net.

• Sporting are bidding to make their fourth consecutive group-stage appearance and have contested the group stage five times overall. Their only previous experience of progressing through the qualifiers came against Beitar Jerusalem FC in 1997/98, while their two failures came against Italian sides – Udinese in 2005/06 and Inter three years before that.

• Cesare Prandelli's men booked themselves their play-off round place by procuring fourth spot in Serie A last season, finishing higher than Genoa CFC courtesy of a better head-to-head record.

• Fiorentina have twice appeared in the group stage, earning their place through qualifying on both occasions. They overcame SK Slavia Praha last season and RTS Widzew Łódź in 1999/2000.

Team ties

• Sporting coach Paulo Bento played all 90 minutes and Viola striker Adrian Mutu was an unused substitute when Portugal downed Romania 1-0 at UEFA EURO 2000™.

• Sporting midfielder Simon Vukčević and Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetić are Montenegrin international team-mates.

• Lions defender Leandro Grimi and Viola forward Alberto Gilardino were briefly colleagues at AC Milan in 2006/07, while Felipe Caicedo (Sporting) and Zdravko Kuzmanović (Fiorentina) served together at FC Basel 1893 in the same season.