Background: Zenit v Standard Liège
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Article summary
FC Zenit will look to maintain their 100% record at home against Belgian opponents as R. Standard de Liège head east in search of a first win – and a first goal – in Russia.
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Article body
FC Zenit can take some comfort in an unblemished home record against Belgian opponents as R. Standard de Liège come to Russia for their UEFA Champions League play-off decider trailing 1-0.
Previous meetings
• Dick Advocaat's Zenit eliminated Michel Preud'homme's Standard in the first round en route to winning the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, winning 3-0 at home and drawing 1-1 in Belgium.
• The teams for the game at the Stadion Petrovski on 20 September 2007 were:-
Zenit: Čontofalský, Anyukov, Hagen, Kim Dong-jin, Lombaerts, Domínguez, Šírl, Tymoshchuk, Zyryanov, Arshavin, Pogrebnyak.
Standard: Renard, Camozzato, Dante, Onyewu, Sarr, Defour, Fellaini, Toama, Witsel (Dufer 82), De Camargo, Mbokani (Lukunku 79).
Form guide
• Following their first leg triumph, Zenit's record in nine UEFA games against Belgian sides is W6 D1 L2 (W4 D0 L0 at home – W2 D1 L2 in Belgium).
• Standard have played five UEFA games against Russian clubs with the record W1 D1 L3 (W1 D1 L1 at home – W0 D0 L2 in Russia). They have yet to avoid defeat – or indeed score a goal – in Russia.
• Standard's only UEFA Champions League group stage campaign to date was in 2009/10. Zenit are bidding to reach the group stage for the fifth time – and for a fourth time in successive seasons.
• Prior to beating Panathinaikos FC in this season's third qualifying round, Standard had not won a UEFA Champions League qualifying tie, losing out to FC Steaua Bucureşti in 2006/07 and Liverpool FC in 2008/09.
• This is Zenit's third UEFA Champions League play-off: they lost out to AJ Auxerre in 2010/11 but beat Portugal's FC Paços de Ferreira last season.
Links and trivia
• Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel was playing for Standard when the clubs last met, with former team-mates Laurent Ciman, Jelle Van Damme, Mehdi Carcela-González and Igor De Camargo still with the Liege club.
• Witsel, Zenit team-mate Nicolas Lombaerts and Standard defender Laurent Ciman were on duty together with Belgium at the recent FIFA World Cup.
• Standard's Liege-born Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Carcela-González played in Russia for FC Anji Makhachkala from 2011-2013.
