Lokomotiv Moskva v Beşiktaş background
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Article summary
Lokomotiv Moskva fans with long memories will not want to dwell on the results of the sides' previous encounters as the Railwaymen welcome Beşiktaş in Group H.
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FC Lokomotiv Moskva will hope for a more positive outcome than their last meeting with Beşiktaş JK when the clubs come together in UEFA Europa League Group H.
Previous meetings
• Nevio Scala's Beşiktaş beat Yuri Semin's Lokomotiv 6-1 on aggregate in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. They won 3-0 at home and 3-1 in Moscow.
• Lokomotiv's record in six games against Turkish sides is W2 D1 L3 (W1 D0 L2 at home – W1 D1 L1 in Turkey).
• Beşiktaş's seven encounters with Russian teams ended W3 D1 L3 (W2 D1 L1 in Istanbul – W1 D0 L2 in Russia).
Form guide
• Lokomotiv have won both of their Group H fixtures, making this their best start to a UEFA group stage.
• Lokomotiv have successfully negotiated two of their previous three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.
• Beşiktaş made it through last season's UEFA Europa League group stage unbeaten, then eliminated Liverpool FC on penalties before succumbing to Club Brugge KV.
• The competition's new identity has played well with Beşiktaş: they failed to progress in all three of their UEFA Cup group stage campaigns, but have been successful in all three of their UEFA Europa League ones.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Istanbul to Moscow is around 1,750km.
• Lokomotiv defender Taras Mikhalik can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance in the Beşiktaş game.
• With 40 goals, Beşiktaş striker Mario Gomez is the fourth highest-scoring German player in UEFA club competition. He needs three more to join Ulf Kirsten in third place.
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.
• Former Trabzonspor AŞ and Turkey goalkeeper Şenol Günes took charge at Beşiktaş in June this year. He famously steered Turkey to a bronze-medal finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has also won two Turkish Cups in the course of four spells as Trabzonspor coach.
