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Sporting and Legia both looking for lift-off

After contrasting, if both ultimately disappointing, opening nights in Group F, Sporting CP and Legia Warszawa try again for their first points when they meet in Lisbon.

Sporting's Bryan Ruiz on the ball on matchday one in Madrid
Sporting's Bryan Ruiz on the ball on matchday one in Madrid ©AFP/Getty Images

Sporting Clube de Portugal and Legia Warszawa will try again for their first points in Group F when they meet in Lisbon on matchday two.

• Although both were beaten on matchday one, the two clubs had contrasting opening nights: Sporting CP were 2-1 losers at UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid CF while Legia were overwhelmed 6-0 at home against Borussia Dortmund.

• Legia have changed coach since matchday one, Besnik Hasi having left his post on 20 September. Former Legia midfielder Jacek Magiera signed a two-year deal to replace him on Saturday.

Previous meetings
• Sporting overcame Legia 3-2 on aggregate when the teams faced off in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 32.

• Sporting scored late in both legs, drawing the first 2-2 in Warsaw only after an 88th-minute equaliser from substitute André Santos, then winning 1-0 in Lisbon through Matías Fernández's 84th-minute free-kick.

• The line-ups at the Estádio José Alvalade on 23 February 2012 were:
Sporting: Rui Patrício, Pereira, Carriço, Anderson Polga, Insúa, Rodríguez (Xandão 71), Fernández, Carrillo (Capel 70), Schaars, Izmailov (Pereirinha 77), Van Wolfswinkel.
Legia: Kuciak, Jędrzejczyk, Żewłakow, Komorowski, Wawrzyniak, Vrdoljak, Rzeźniczak (Wolski 69), Żyro (Kucharczyk 58), Gol (Hubník 87), Rybus, Ljuboja.

Match background

Sporting
• Jorge Jesus's side were unlucky to end up empty-handed at the Santiago Bernabéu on matchday one. After taking the lead through Bruno César, they conceded an 89th-minute equaliser to Sporting old boy Cristiano Ronaldo before Álvaro Morata's decider four minutes into added time.

• Sporting had mixed fortunes at home in the UEFA Europa League last term, beating KS Skënderbeu (5-1) and Beşiktaş JK (3-1) but going down to FC Lokomotiv Moskva (1-3) and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (0-1).

Legia
• This is Legia's first UEFA Champions League group stage since 1995/96 and it began with the heaviest defeat in their European history – that 6-0 humbling at the hands of Dortmund.

• Legia lost all three away fixtures in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League group stage, at FC Midtjylland (0-1), Club Brugge KV (0-1) and SSC Napoli (2-5).

• Under Hasi, Legia were unbeaten home and away in this season's qualifying rounds. On their travels they drew at HŠK Zrinjski (1-1), and then won away to FK AS Trenčín (1-0) and Dundalk FC (2-0).

Coach and player links
• Jesus's first European game as a coach, in July 1998, was a 1-1 draw for CF Estrela da Amadora at Polish club Ruch Chorzów in the 1998 UEFA Intertoto Cup. His Estrela side also drew the home leg 1-1 before edging the tie 4-2 on penalties.

• Michał Pazdan and substitute Tomasz Jodłowiec were in the Poland side ousted on penalties by the Portugal of Rui Patrício, William Carvalho and Adrien Silva in the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finals.

• Nemanja Nikolić scored past Rui Patrício for Videoton FC in a 3-0 victory over Sporting in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League group stage. Nikolić was subsequently on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat in the return fixture at the José Alvalade.

• During a loan spell at Gil Vicente FC in 2011/12, Guilherme suffered a 6-1 league thrashing at Sporting but later prevailed 1-0 at the Alvalade in the Portuguese Cup.

• Guilherme and João Pereira were both at SC Braga in 2009/10 but they never started a first-team match together.

Match facts

Sporting
• Sporting's 13-match winning streak in the Portuguese Liga ended when they lost 3-1 at Rio Ave FC on 18 September. The Lions were 3-0 down at half-time.

• Bas Dost has scored in all three of his league appearances since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg in late August, four goals in total.

• Sporting have conceded seven goals in their last three matches, having kept three clean sheets in their first four games this term.

Legia
• Adam Hloušek is available after serving a one-game ban on matchday one.

• Hasi left by "mutual agreement" two days after the 3-2 home loss – Legia's third consecutive defeat – to Zagłębie Lubin on 18 September.

• Former Legia player Aleksandar Vuković, assistant coach under Hasi, was in temporary charge for the 0-0 draw at Wisła Kraków on Friday.

• Summer signings Jakub Czerwiński and Steven Langil scored their first goals for Legia in the Zagłębie reverse.

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