Lokomotiv Moskva v Sporting CP background
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Article summary
Lokomotiv Moskva can take comfort from their visitors' unhappy record against Russian opponents as they welcome Sporting CP, the Muscovites within sight of the round of 32.
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Despite back-to-back 1-1 draws, FC Lokomotiv Moskva remain on top in UEFA Europa League Group H, with a place in the last 32 beckoning as they welcome Sporting Clube de Portugal.
• Lokomotiv are through if they win.
• Sporting are out if they lose and Beşiktaş JK beat KF Skënderbeu in the other Group H match.
Previous meetings
• Lokomotiv won 3-1 in Lisbon on matchday one in the sides' first UEFA encounter.
• Lokomotiv's record against Portuguese sides is W2 D0 L3 (W1 D0 L1 at home).
• Sporting's record against Russian clubs is W1 D1 L6 (W0 D1 L2 in Russia). Those games include a defeat – at their home stadium – against PFC CSKA Moskva in the 2005 UEFA Cup final and a 4-3 aggregate loss to the same side in this season's UEFA Champions League play-offs.
• The Russian side has scored three goals in six of Sporting's eight encounters with the nation's clubs.
Form guide
• Lokomotiv are unbeaten in Group H (W2 D2).
• Sporting are without a win in 17 continental away games (D5 L12) since a 2-0 UEFA Europa League group stage success at FC Zürich in September 2011.
• Lokomotiv have successfully navigated their way through two of their previous three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.
• In five previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage participations, Sporting have only once failed to make it to the round of 32 – in their most recent season, in 2012/13.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Lisbon to Moscow is just over 3,900km.
• Sporting's João Pereira and Lokomotiv's Manuel Fernandes were team-mates at SL Benfica between 2003 and 2005.
• Sporting's Ewerton played in Russia for FC Anji Makhachkala, where current Lokomotiv players Arseni Logashov and Mbark Boussoufa were among his team-mates.
The coaches
• 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.
• A losing UEFA Europa League finalist with Benfica in 2013 and 2014, Jorge Jesus unexpectedly left the Eagles for fierce local rivals Sporting this summer. The 61-year-old had started his playing career at Sporting – where his father Virgolino had also been a player – but had coached Benfica since 2009.
