Arsenal Fc v FK Partizan Press Kit

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

2010/11 SEASON

MATCH PRESS KIT

Arsenal FC FK Partizan

Group H - Matchday 6

Arsenal Stadium, London

Wednesday 8 December 2010

20.45CET (19.45 local time)

Match background

Arsenal FC scored 11 goals in their previous two UEFA Champions League home group fixtures and will need to rediscover their scoring touch when FK Partizan visit to make certain of their place in the last 16.

• The Gunners won their first three fixtures but defeats at FC Shakhtar Donetsk and SC Braga have left their hopes hanging in the balance. Now Arsène Wenger's team have to beat Partizan to make sure of reaching the last 16 for the 11th successive season.

• Partizan were confirmed in bottom place on Matchday 4 and, having lost their first five matches, are bidding to avoid joining the ten teams who have previously suffered six defeats in a UEFA Champions League group stage.

Previous meetings

• The teams met on Matchday 2 in Belgrade, the visitors running out 3-1 winners. Andrey Arshavin gave Arsenal an early lead, Cléo levelling before the break with the first of the night's three penalties and the only one to be converted. Both Arshavin and Cléo missed from the spot in the second half but goals inside the last 20 minutes from Marouane Chamakh and Sébastien Squillaci meant the points ended up in north London.

• Previously Arsenal had only faced opponents from Serbia once, a 1978/79 UEFA Cup third round tie against FK Crvena zvezda. After losing 1-0 away, the Gunners were eliminated following a 1-1 home draw.

• Partizan have lost five of their last six contests against English opponents. They did beat Manchester United FC 2-1 on aggregate in the 1965/66 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals to qualify for their only continental final, where they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid FC in Brussels.

• The Serbian champions have played in London on one previous occasion, facing Queens Park Rangers FC in a remarkable 1984/85 UEFA Cup second round tie. Partizan lost 6-2 away but won the return 4-0 to progress on away goals.

• They also faced Leeds United AFC in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup first round, losing 3-1 at home and 1-0 away. Partizan coach Aleksandar Stanojević played in both games.

 

Team ties

• Vladimir Stojković and Mladen Krstajić played for Serbia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against a France side including

• Stojković and Krstajić played in a UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier in Belgrade against a Belgium team containing Thomas Vermaelen in October 2006. Serbia won 1-0. All three figured in the return in Brussels in August 2007 which Belgium won 1-0, Milan Smiljanić coming on for his senior debut.

• Bacary Sagna was in the AJ Auxerre team which won 4-1 at Partizan in the UEFA Cup group stage on 29 November 2006.

Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy in Paris on 10 September 2008. For the return in Belgrade on 9 September 2009, Stojković and Sagna were both involved with Clichy an unused substitute.

Last updated 08/12/10 9:17:43CET

4 Match background

Arsenal

UEFA milestones

• Arsenal have conceded 195 goals in UEFA competition.

UEFA Champions League statistics

• Arsenal have scored 15 goals, the joint highest total in the competition along with Tottenham Hotspur FC. Manchester United FC hold the record for goals scored in a UEFA Champions League group stage: 20 in 1998/99.

• Emmanuel Eboué will incur a suspension with his next booking.

Latest domestic information

•

Saturday 4 December: Arsenal FC 2-1 Fulham FC (Nasri 14 75; Kamara 30)

Fabiański; Sagna, Koscielny (Djourou 33), Squillaci, Clichy; Song, Wilshere (Walcott 74), Nasri, Rosický (Van Persie 63), Arshavin; Chamakh

• Samir Nasri has scored in Arsenal's last three league games and has eight Premier League goals this season; he managed six in 2008/09, his previous best.

• The Gunners are yet to concede in the opening 25 minutes of any game this season.

• Arsenal have lost three of their eight home league games this term, one more defeat than in the whole of last season.

• Arsène Wenger's side have kept just two clean sheets in their past nine games.

• Alex Song has four goals to his name this term – he scored just once in 50 outings for club and country last season.

• Arsenal reached the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 home win against Wigan Athletic FC on 30 November, an Antolín Alcaraz own goal giving them a half-time lead before Nicklas Bendtner added a second.

• The Gunners will play Championship club Ipswich Town FC in the last four on 12 and 25 January with the first leg at the Arsenal Stadium.

• Arsenal will face Leeds United AFC in the FA Cup third round on 8 January.

Injury news

• Laurent Koscielny had to be replaced before half-time on Saturday after colliding with Sébastien Squillaci in the build-up to Fulham's goal.

• Thomas Vermaelen has not played since 7 September due to an Achilles problem. He suffered a relapse in training on 8 November. "Vermaelen is in a [protective] boot," said Wenger on Monday. "We want him back and I hope he will be back soon, but not before January."

• Cesc Fàbregas (hamstring) and Eboué (knee ligament) both sustained injuries at Braga; Fàbregas has not played since but Eboué recovered to start against Wigan.

• Arsenal's injury list also includes Manuel Almunia (elbow, out since 25 September) and Abou Diaby (ankle, 16 October). The goalkeeper played 45 minutes for the club's reserve team on 23 November but suffered a relapse in training on 2 December.

• Robin van Persie was in the starting XI against Wigan, his first start since 28 August due to an ankle problem.

• Aaron Ramsey broke his right leg at Stoke City FC in February but has joined Championship club Nottingham Forest FC on loan until 3 January. He made his first appearance as a second-half substitute on 29 November.

• Emmanuel Frimpong will be sidelined until the new year after damaging knee ligaments in training in August.

Partizan

UEFA milestones

• Jadson's goal on Matchday 5 was the 250th the Serbian side have conceded UEFA competition.

UEFA Champions League statistics

• Partizan have scored once in the group stage, the joint lowest total in the competition along with Bursaspor and Panathinaikos FC.

• Radosav Petrović, Saša Ilić and Almami Moreira will incur a ban with their next bookings.

Last updated 08/12/10 9:17:43CET

5 Match facts

Latest domestic information

•

(Cléo 1 6, Petrović 13, Babović 25, Iliev 72; Stevančević 65, Ademović 77)

Saturday 4 December: FK Partizan 5-2 FK Sloboda Sevojno

Stojković; Miljković (Jovanović 12), Savić, Krstajić, Kizito; Petrović, Babović, Ilić (Davidov 72), Moreira; Iliev, Cléo (Smiljanić 56)

• Partizan secured their place at the top of the Super League going into the winter break, finishing the first half of the season five points clear of second-placed FK Crvena zvezda.

• Partizan have won their last 11 matches in domestic competition; eight in the league and three in the Serbian Cup.

• Saturday's game was due to take place at Sevojno but the fixture was reversed after a request by the Uzice outfit, whose new stadium will be opened in February.

• Partizan have won 20 out of 22 in the league since Aleksandar Stanojević took over in April.

• Stanojević's side have scored three goals or more in each of their last eight domestic games, 31

in all.

• Partizan have scored 41 goals in 15 league games this season – no other side have managed more than 23.

• The Belgrade outfit have lost just one of their last 48 league matches, a 2-0 defeat at FK Vojvodina on 3 October.

• Stefan Babović, Ivica Iliev and Cléo have all scored five goals in Partizan's last five games.

• Babović and Iliev struck two apiece as Partizan beat FK Metalac 5-0 on 28 November, their biggest league win of the season.

• Babović's second goal came direct from a corner.

• Partizan will face Crvena zvezda in the Serbian Cup semi-finals in the spring.

Injury news

• Right-back Aleksandar Miljković was withdrawn 13 minutes into the Sevojno win after complaining of muscular pains.

Arsenal FC

Formed:

1886

Nickname:

The Gunners

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)

• European Champion Clubs' Cup: (2006)

• UEFA Cup: (2000)

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): (1980), 1994, (1995)

• UEFA Super Cup: (1994)

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)

League title: 13 (2004)

FA Cup: 10 (2005)

League Cup: 2 (1993)

Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)

2009/10:

quarter-finals

2008/09:

semi-finals

2007/08:

quarter-finals

2006/07:

round of 16

2005/06:

runners-up

2004/05:

round of 16

2003/04:

quarter-finals

2002/03:

second group stage

2001/02:

second group stage
2000/01:

FK Partizan

Formed:

1945

Nickname:

Crno-beli (Black-and-Whites)

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)

• European Champion Clubs' Cup: (1966)

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)

League title: 23 (2010)

Yugoslavian/Serbian Cup: 11 (2009)

Ten-year European record (UEFA Champion League unless indicated otherwise)

2009/10:

qualifying round)

2008/09:

UEFA Cup group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round)

2007/08:

UEFA Cup first qualifying round

2006/07:

UEFA Cup group stage

2005/06:

UEFA Cup first round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round)

2004/05:

UEFA Cup round of 16

2003/04:

group stage

2002/03:

round)

2001/02:

UEFA Cup first round
2000/01:

UEFA Cup first round

UEFA Cup second round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying

UEFA Europa League group stage (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third quarter-finals

• Partizan began with a 1-0 defeat at Shakhtar and after the home reverse against Arsenal they faced two games against Braga, who had also suffered two defeats. However it only resulted in more disappointment for Stanojević's team who lost 2-0 away and 1-0 at home, ending their home campaign with a 3-0 loss against Shakhtar on Matchday 5.

• Last season Arsenal won all five home games, play-off round included, before FC Barcelona held them to a 2-2 draw in the quarter-final first leg to set up a 6-3 aggregate success.

• Only Manchester United FC, 3-1 winners in the 2008/09 semi-final second leg, have triumphed in the 26 UEFA Champions League games, including qualifiers, at Arsenal Stadium. Before that loss Arsène Wenger's men had boasted a five-year unbeaten home run in the competition, which began at their previous ground, Highbury.

• In their only previous group stage participation in 2003/04, Partizan lost all three away games and scored just a single goal on the road. After a total of 11 games in the competition proper they are still waiting for their first victory.

• Arsenal opened their Group H campaign with a 6-0 dismantling of Braga, following up their win in Belgrade on Matchday 2 with a 5-1 triumph against Shakhtar. Since then, however, they have lost 2-1 in Donetsk and then 2-0 at Braga to slip to second place.