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Sevilla set for Zenit rematch
Sevilla FC and FC Zenit St. Petersburg will lock horns for the third time in two seasons when they meet in the
UEFA Cup quarter-finals. The Russian team have the edge after picking up a win and a draw in the group stages of this campaign and last, although both were in the comfort of their Petrovsky stadium home. Sevilla will hope for more success in the familiar surroundings of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán where they defeated another Russian side, FC Lokomotiv Moskva, in the last 32.
• A second-half strike from Jordi López gave the Spanish side the initiative against Lokomotiv in freezing conditions in the Russian capital and goals from Vicenzo Maresca and Antonio Puerta then saw them through in Spain. It was the continuation of an impressive
UEFA Cup campaign in which they escaped a congested Group H as section winners. Javier Saviola was in the goals as Sevilla defeated Beşiktaş JK and Vitória SC, while drawing with Bolton Wanderers FC and losing to Zenit.
• Aleksandr Kerzhakov scored twice to help the home team to a 2-1 victory against Sevilla at the Petrovsky stadium back in November. The Russia striker set them on course for victory with an eleventh-minute opener before sealing the points with his and Zenit's second two minutes from time. Javier Saviola reduced the deficit deep into added time, but it proved too little, too late for the visitors.
• It has been a solitary low point in a campaign of highs for Sevilla, and a 2-1 aggregate victory against LOSC Lille Métropole allowed the Andalusian outfit to overcome a first-leg deficit and book their place in the last eight. Frédéric Kanouté converted Daniel's assured cross before the half-hour, and Luis Fabiano then completed the comeback with a crisp finish on the stroke of half-time to set up yet another meeting with Zenit.
• The Russian side were also paired with French opposition in the last round, and Andrei Arshavin giving them a crucial first-leg advantage with a goal six minutes after half-time at the Stade Vélodrome, home of Olympique de Marseille. Arshavin's attacking foil Kerzhakov then added another in the return, capitalising on a goalkeeping error, and although the visitors reduced the deficit a second goal proved elusive.
• It was the continuation of a fine run for Zenit which has brought them post-Christmas
UEFA club competition action for the first time in their history. Wins against Guimarães and Sevilla, and a point at Beşiktaş, secured second place in Group H, and the architects of much of their success - Kerzhakov and Arshavin - continued their fine goalscoring form against Rosenborg BK in the Round of 32, as the St. Petersburg outfit ran out 4-1 aggregate winners.
• This will be the third time Zenit and Sevilla have met met, after being paired in the group stage in last season's competition, which finished all square as the sides shared a 1-1 draw. Arshavin gave Zenit a first-half lead but the Russian side were pegged back with 19 minutes remaining, however, as Julio Baptista - now with Real Madrid CF - replied to ensure Sevilla left the Petrovsky stadium with a point.
• Zenit's only previous second encounter with Spanish opposition came in the 2000
UEFA Intertoto Cup final against RC Celta de Vigo. Celta took a 2-1 first-leg lead in Vigo, Juanfran scoring a last-minute winner after Zenit had opened the scoring through Aleksei Igonine and Russian international Valeri Karpin had responded for Celta. Zenit turned the tie on its head in the return fixture as a goal in each half from Gennadiy Popovich put the Russian team in front overall, but again Celta rallied late on as strikes in the final seven minutes from Karpin and Benni McCarthy gave them an aggregate triumph.
• Sevilla, meanwhile, have also played one other Russian club - FC Torpedo Moskva in the 1990/91
UEFA Cup second round when they suffered a 4-3 aggregate defeat. Torpedo took control of the tie with a 3-1 home win in the first leg, which was increased in the tenth minute at Sevilla thanks to a Nikolai Savichev goal. The Spanish side tried to fight back and reduced the deficit with two goals, but the equaliser eluded them.
Levski look to press home advantage
PFC Levski Sofia are hopeful of continuing their fine home form in the
UEFA Cup when they welcome Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 to the Vassil Levski stadium for the quarter-final first leg. Although they have lost four in six on their travels since their campaign started against NK Publikum in the second qualifying round in August, the Bulgarian team have a 100 per cent record on home territory.
• Both sides overcame Italian opposition in the last 16, with second-leg home victories helping to leave the most successful nation in the competition's history without any
UEFA Cup representatives in the last eight. Levski built on their goalless draw against Udinese Calcio at the Stadio Friuli with a 2-1 victory in Sofia, but they were forced to come from behind after falling behind early on. Daniel Borimirov scored his first European goal for 13 years to equalise and Igor Tomašić then got the all-important winner just after the hour.
• It continued Stanimir Stoilov's side's fine record at the Vassil Levski stadium this term. Home wins against Olympique de Marseille and FC Dinamo 1948 Bucuresti secured second place in Group F, despite defeats by SC Heerenveen and PFC CSKA Moskva, but they really hit their stride against FC Artmedia in the first knockout round. An early Emil Angelov strike gave Levski their first away victory of this season's competition in the first leg, and the in-form striker then added two more in the return as his side eased through to a tie with Udinese.
• Schalke quickly found their feet in the
UEFA Cup after switching from the
UEFA Champions League, booking their progress to the last 16 with a 5-1 aggregate victory against RCD Espanyol. It provided some consolation for the German club, who had had designs on claiming a place in the first knockout round of the
UEFA Champions League. Defeat at PSV Eindhoven and draws against AC Milan and Fenerbahçe SK left them with just two points from their opening three games but they lifted themselves off the foot of the section with a 2-0 win in the rematch against the Turkish team. Levan Kobiashvili then scored a hat-trick in a comfortable win against PSV but a 3-2 defeat at Milan on Matchday 6 consigned the Gelsenkirchen side to third.
• Kobiashvili was also on target in the
UEFA Cup last-16 tie against US Città di Palermo, kick-starting a battling comeback after the Bundesliga outfit had lost the first encounter 1-0. Søren Larsen and Mimoun Azaouagh also found the net as the 1997
UEFA Cup winners – the only former champions remaining in the competition - booked a last-eight spot.
• Schalke and Levski have never previously met in
UEFA club competition but the Bulgarian side have been drawn with German sides on five occasions, with mixed success. They twice triumphed against VfB Stuttgart after being paired in the first rounds of the
UEFA Cup and European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1984/85 and 1985/86.
• Levski had previously gained an away-goals victory against MSV Duisburg in the 1975/76
UEFA Cup second round, after falling to East German outfit Berliner FC Dynamo in the second round three years earlier. Their last fixture against German opposition also ended in disappointment as Werder Bremen won 3-2 on aggregate in the 1993/94
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round following a 2-2 draw on home turf.
• Schalke will have fond memories of their only previous meeting with Bulgarian, having defeated PFC Slavia Sofia 5-2 on aggregate in the 1972/73
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round.
• The winners of the tie will play either Spanish side Sevilla FC or FC Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia in the
UEFA Cup semi-finals.
Rapid out to leave Steaua standing
AFC Rapid Bucuresti will be looking to make the most of home advantage when they welcome city rivals FC Steaua Bucuresti to the Giulesti stadium for the first leg of their last-eight tie. The Romanian capital is guaranteed to provide one
UEFA Cup semi-finalist, and with Steaua being forced to play their home games at the unfamiliar Lia Manoliu stadium while their Ghencea stadium is refurbished, Rapid will look to make the most of home support.
• They certainly have done so far in the competition, winning all seven of their home games since starting their campaign with a 10-0 aggregate victory against Moldovan outfit UE Sant Julià in the first qualifying round in July. The Romanian side also negotiated their way past Feyenoord in the first round, earning a place in the group stage where they began their campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Stade Rennais FC. Victories against FC Shakhtar Donetsk and PAOK FC followed as Daniel Niculae, Mugurel Buga and Marius Maldarasanu all found form.
• A 2-1 defeat by VfB Stuttgart in their final Group G fixture took a little gloss off their otherwise perfect progress, but Rapid quickly vanquished doubts against another Bundesliga team in the last 32, Hertha BSC Berlin. Valentin Marian Negru's second-half penalty ensured Rapid triumphed 1-0 in the away leg, paving the way for a comfortable aggregate win. Their reward was a meeting with yet another German side - Hamburger SV. Niculae and Buga earned a 2-0 first-leg win and although Hamburg triumphed 3-1 in the return, Buga's goal at the AOL Arena proved decisive as Rapid progressed on away goals.
• Steaua's last-16 tie with Real Betis Balompié hung in the balance after Cosmin Olaroiu's team were held to a goalless draw in the first encounter. But Banel Nicolita was in superlative form in the return, scoring two stunning strikes either side of a Victoras Iacob goal to book Steaua's place in the quarter-finals. It proved a happy return to Seville, the scene of their greatest triumph, when they lifted the 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup.
• Like Rapid, Steaua also finished the group stage as section winners following an unbeaten campaign that included comprehensive home wins against RC Lens and Halmstads BK. SC Heerenveen dealt them their first defeat on the campaign, 1-0, in the second leg of their last-16 tie but Steaua's 3-1 victory in the first encounter in the Netherlands proved insurmountable.
• A tie with Rapid was their reward; the meeting will be the first time Romanian clubs have been paired together in
UEFA club competition. The two teams drew 0-0 in their only league meeting to date this season and the winners will play the winners of the game between FC Basel 1893 and Middlesbrough FC in the semi-finals.
Basel eye end to English hoodoo
After starting their
UEFA Cup group stage campaign with victory against Grasshopper-Club, Middlesbrough FC are targeting further Swiss success when they meet FC Basel 1893 in the quarter-final first leg. A Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink goal gave the Teesside team victory in Zurich on 20 October as the Premiership side enjoyed a winning debut against Swiss opposition. Basel, meanwhile, will hope to build on a disappointing record against English clubs which has brought just one victory in nine matches.
• Christian Gross' team will never have a better opportunity, however, after hitting a rich vein of form in this season's
UEFA Cup. Goals from Argentinian midfielder Matías Delgado and Zdravko Kuzmanovic set Basel on course for victory in their last-16 tie against RC Strasbourg. It left the Ligue 1 outfit needing to score twice in the return at La Meinau, and although they managed that, an Eduardo double made goals from Rudy Carlier and Cedric Kanté somewhat meaningless as Basel eased into the last eight.
• Such an achievement looked unlikely when they opened their
UEFA Cup group stage account with a home defeat against Strasbourg. They bounced back with narrow wins against FK Crvena Zvezda and Tromsø IL but had no answer to AS Roma in their final group outing as they lost 3-1. However, with Strasbourg holding Crvena Zvezda elsewhere, the side from the north of Switzerland still qualified. Their reward was a Round of 32 tie with AS Monaco FC, and David Degen's strike set Basel on course in the first leg in Switzerland. They still had much to do in the Principality, especially after Christian Vieri levelled matters with an early spot-kick, before defender Daniel Majstorovic restored Basel's aggregate advantage.
• Elsewhere in the Round of 32 Middlesbrough could afford a 1-0 second-leg defeat against VfB Stuttgart at the Riverside stadium and still seal a place in the last 16 courtesy of the away-goals rule. Goals in each half from Hasselbaink and Stuart Parnaby gave Middlesbrough the upper hand at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, and although Danijel Ljuboja's late free-kick kept the Bundesliga team in contention, the lead proved insurmountable. The second leg nevertheless brought the side's first defeat of the tournament, after easing through the group stage with three victories, scoring six unanswered goals to defeat Grasshoppers, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and PFC Litex Lovech, and a goalless draw at AZ Alkmaar.
• Steve McClaren's side booked their place in the last eight with an impressive aggregate victory against highly-regarded AS Roma. Yakubu Ayegbeni scored the only goal of the first leg from the penalty spot after just 12 minutes and Hasselbaink's 32nd-minute strike at the Stadio Olimpico in the return left the Serie A side needing to score three times. They managed two, both from Mancini, although a third proved elusive as they bowed out.
• Still relative novices on the European stage, Middlesbrough had never before met Swiss opposition prior to their win against Grasshoppers but Basel are old hands by comparison. The side have a disappointing record against English opposition, however, and have a solitary win to their name in nine previous encounters.
• That came in the first meeting, against Sheffield Wednesday FC in the 1995
UEFA Intertoto Cup, when Alexandre Rey's 68th-minute strike earned a 1-0 win at St. Jakob-Park. Since then the Swiss Super League side have failed to emerge victorious in two games against each of Aston Villa FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC and Newcastle United FC.
• The latest meeting came with Middlesbrough's north-east rivals Newcastle in the second round of the 2002/03
UEFA Cup. Two goals in the space of four first-half minutes from Mario Cantaluppi and Scott Chipperfield put Basel in charge of the first leg in Switzerland, but Newcastle fought back, eventually earning a narrow 3-2 advantage through Shola Ameobi with 15 minutes remaining. Boris Smiljanic's own goal then sealed Basel's fate after 14 minutes of the return.
UEFA Cup 30th March
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Big News, I'm on Basel now, or more like increasing my stakes on them. 
