UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
2010/11 SEASON
MATCH PRESS KIT
Manchester United FC Valencia CF
Group C - Matchday 6
Old Trafford, Manchester
Tuesday 7 December 2010
20.45CET (19.45 local time)
Match background
Manchester United FC and Valencia CF may have already confirmed their progress from Group C but first place remains to be decided when they meet at Old Trafford on Matchday 6.
• The unbeaten home team hold a three-point lead and can only be overtaken if Valencia beat them. To do that Unai Emery's team must find a way past the UEFA Champions League's only unbreached defence, though Valencia should not lack confidence having scored nine goals in their last two group fixtures.
• United beat Valencia 1-0 in Spain and if the visitors win by the same scoreline, so cancelling out any head-to-head advantage, they will finish first because of their superior goal difference.
Previous meetings
• The clubs first met in the 1982/83 UEFA Cup. On 29 September 1982, Valencia prevailed 2-1 at Mestalla to win their first round tie after a goalless opener. Bryan Robson (45) gave United the lead but Valencia replied through Daniel Solsona (70) and Roberto Fernández (75).
• They met again in the UEFA Champions League second group stage in 1999/2000, United winning 3-0 at home –Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Paul Scholes the scorers – and drawing 0-0 away. United topped the group but Valencia went on to reach the final.
• The following season they pitted wits in the second group stage once more and this time played out two draws, 0-0 at Mestalla and 1-1 at Old Trafford after Wes Brown's own goal (86) cancelled out Andrew Cole's 12th-minute opener.
Valencia won the group and reached the final again.
• Vicente and David Albelda were unused replacements for the clubs' 2001 Mestalla meeting, then appeared as substitutes at Old Trafford. United's team included Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Scholes and Brown. Neville and Scholes are the only survivors of the 1999/2000 stalemate in Spain.
• Valencia's 0-0 draw at Chelsea FC on their last visit to England in December 2007 – their final game in that season's UEFA Champions League – started an impressive run of away results in Europe with five victories and just one defeat from 14 games.
• The Spanish club are unbeaten on their last five trips to England although they have still won only once on English soil – 1-0 at Liverpool FC in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League group stage. Their overall record is W1 D8 L4.
• United lost 2-0 to FC Barcelona in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League final but beat the same opponents 2-1 in the 1990/91 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final.
• Valencia beat Arsenal FC on penalties to capture the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup after a goalless draw in the 1979/80 final. They then got the better of Nottingham Forest FC in the following season's UEFA Super Cup, and in 2000/01 defeated Arsenal and Leeds United AFC in successive rounds to reach the UEFA Champions League final.
Team ties
• United's 1991 triumph against Barcelona was the second time Sir Alex Ferguson had claimed that trophy at the expense of Spanish opponents after his Aberdeen FC side defeated Real Madrid CF 2-1 in the 1983 final.
• César Sánchez was on the bench for Real Madrid in both legs of their 2002/03 quarter-final win against United. He spent five months with Tottenham Hotspur FC in 2008/09 but played just 16 minutes as a substitute in a League Cup win against Liverpool FC.
• Ricardo Costa suffered home and away losses against United with VfL Wolfsburg in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Alejandro Domínguez was in the FC Zenit St Petersburg side that beat United in the 2008 UEFA Super Cup.
• Manuel Fernandes faced United with two different clubs in 2006/07. He was on loan at Portsmouth FC when they lost 3-0 at Old Trafford in November 2006. By April he was on loan at Everton and scored to put them 2-0 up against United at Goodison Park, only for Sir Alex's men to fight back and win 4-2.
Manchester United
UEFA milestones
• United's next win in UEFA competition will be their 150th; they have scored 495 goals.
• United are the only team yet to concede after five matches; no side has ever kept six clean sheets in a UEFA Champions League group stage.
• The English side have suffered 46 fouls and collected only two yellow cards, both the lowest totals in the competition.
Latest domestic information
• United's game at Blackpool FC, which was due to take place on Saturday evening, was postponed on Friday because of a frozen pitch.
• Sir Alex Ferguson's side have scored two or more goals in 13 of their 15 league outings this season.
• Only two of the 16 Premier League goals United have conceded have come in the first half.
• United have won their last six home matches in all competitions. They have scored in their last 19 league games at Old Trafford, though they drew a blank against Rangers on Matchday 1.
• On 27 November United beat Blackburn Rovers FC 7-1 at Old Trafford, their biggest win since defeating AS Roma by the same scoreline in the UEFA Champions League on 10 April 2007.
• Dimitar Berbatov scored five times, becoming only the fourth player to manage the feat in the Premier League era, after Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Andrew Cole, who hit five in United's 9-0 win against Ipswich Town FC on 4 March 1995.
• United's 28-match unbeaten run, stretching back to 3 April, was ended by a 4-0 defeat at West Ham United FC in the League Cup quarter-finals on 30 November.
• The loss was United's heaviest since a 4-0 reverse at Arsenal FC in the same competition on 5 November 2001.
• Sir Alex's side will be at home to Liverpool FC in the FA Cup third round on 9 January.
Injury news
• Wayne Rooney returned as a substitute against Wigan Athletic FC on 20 November having damaged an ankle in training on 19 October.
• Michael Owen said on 27 October he will be out of action "for a few weeks" after picking up a hamstring injury in training.
• Paul Scholes suffered a groin strain on Matchday 5 and has not played since.
• Owen Hargreaves lasted ten minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on 6 November – his first start since 21 September 2008 – before going off with a hamstring injury. He is not in United's UEFA Champions League squad.
• On 16 September, United confirmed Antonio Valencia will miss "a good portion of the season" after dislocating and fracturing his left ankle against Rangers.
Miscellaneous
• On 27 November United announced Danish international goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard will join from Aalesunds FK on a three-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.
• Ole Gunnar Solskjær will step down as United's reserve team coach in January to take over at Norwegian side Molde FK.
Valencia
UEFA milestones
• Roberto Soldado's first goal on Matchday 5 was Valencia's 350th in UEFA competition.
UEFA Champions League statistics
• Aritz Aduriz and David Albelda will incur a ban with their next yellow card.
• Goalkeepers Miguel Ángel Moyà and Vicente Guaita made their UEFA Champions League debuts on
Matchday 5. Jordi Alba and Isco also took their bows in the competition during the 6-1 win against Bursaspor.
•
Saturday 4 December: Real Madrid CF 2-0 Valencia CF (Ronaldo 73 87)Guaita; Saltor, Stankevičius, Ricardo Costa, Jordi Alba (Miguel 62); Albelda, Maduro, Joaquín (Aduriz 81), Tino Costa, Mata (Banega 69); Soldado
• David Albelda was dismissed on 65 minutes as Valencia's five-game unbeaten run in all competitions – including four wins – ended in Madrid.
• Unai Emery's team have won one of their last six away games – a Copa del Rey meeting with third-tier UD Logroñés.
• After 14 games Valencia have four fewer points – having lost twice as many games – as at the same stage last season.
• Soldado took his tally to four goals in two games with a double as Valencia beat UD Almería 2-1 on 28 November.
• Emery's team face Villarreal CF in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey. The first leg takes place at Mestalla on 22 December with the return on 5 January.
Injury news
• Miguel came on a substitute against Madrid, his first appearance since picking up a thigh problem on 20 November.
• Second-choice keeper Moyà was ruled out for two months after tearing his thigh against Bursaspor on
Matchday 5.
• No1 César Sánchez tore his calf on 8 November and has made just two appearances since sustaining a hamstring injury in training the day after Matchday 3.
• Valencia's absentees also include David Navarro (thigh, out since 20 November), Manuel Fernandes (bruised hip, 17 November), Mehmet Topal (bruised shin, 8 November) and Jérémy Mathieu (torn calf, 14 November)
Manchester United FC
Formed:
1878Nickname:
The Red DevilsUEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• European Champion Clubs' Cup (3): 1968, 1999, 2008, (2009)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1991
• UEFA Super Cup: 1991, (1999), (2008)
Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 18 (2009)
FA Cup: 11 (2004)
League Cup: 4 (2010)
Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
2009/10:
quarter-finals2008/09:
runners-up2007/08:
winners2006/07:
semi-finals2005/06:
group stage2004/05:
round of 162003/04:
round of 162002/03:
quarter-finals2001/02:
semi-finals2000/01:
Valencia CF
Formed:
1919Nickname:
Blanquinegros (white and blacks)UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• European Champion Clubs' Cup: (2000), (2001)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1980
• UEFA Cup (1): 2004
• UEFA Super Cup (2): 1980, 2004
• UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1998
Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 6 (2004)
Spanish Cup: 7 (2008)
Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
2009/10:
UEFA Europa League quarter-finals2008/09:
UEFA Cup round of 322007/08:
group stage2006/07:
quarter-finals2005/06:
UEFA Intertoto Cup final matches2004/05:
UEFA Cup round of 32 (having transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage)2003/04:
UEFA Cup winners2002/03:
quarter-finals2001/02:
UEFA Cup quarter-finals2000/01:
runners-upquarter-finals
No comments:
Post a Comment