2Slick
04-12-2006, 21:23
FC Dynamo Kyiv's elimination from Europe was confirmed on Matchday 5 but Real Madrid CF's visit at least offers Anatoli Demianenko's men the chance to finish on a high note. While Madrid march on to the last 16 in second place in Group E behind Olympique Lyonnais, bottom-placed Dynamo go into their final game needing to win to avoid recording their worst performance in a UEFA Champions League group.
• Dynamo's 1-1 draw at FC Steaua Bucuresti on Matchday 5 confirmed they would miss out on third. Although Florin Cernat gave them an interval lead, Nicolae Dica's 69th-minute equaliser denied them the win they needed.
• With just one point from five matches, unless they take all three against Madrid, Dynamo will end up 'surpassing' their efforts in the 1994/95 season, when they finished the group stage with one win and five losses.
Strong signals
• For Madrid, a victory in Kiev would leave them with four wins in the group stage for the first time since 2003/04 – which, incidentally, was the last season they got as far as the quarter-finals.
• Madrid's 2-2 home draw with Lyon on Matchday 5 left the French side out of reach at the group summit. Although Madrid could yet climb level with Lyon on 13 points, the French champions have the better head-to-head record. Fabio Capello's side actually trailed Lyon 2-0 but fought back through goals from former Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra and Ruud van Nistelrooy. The latter then had a last-minute penalty saved by Grégory Coupet.
• Dynamo were well beaten at the Santiago Bernabéu on Matchday 2, going down 5-1. Van Nistelrooy (2), Raúl González (2) and José Antonio Reyes all found the net for Madrid, with Artim Milevskiy getting Dynamo's goal.
Story so far
• After starting out with a 2-0 loss to Lyon, that victory sparked a three-match winning streak for the Merengues who went on to defeat Steaua 4-1 and 1-0. Dynamo, on the other hand, never recovered from a 4-1 home defeat by Steaua on Matchday 1 and successive losses to Lyon followed their defeat in Madrid.
• Madrid have fared better in the teams' previous encounters, collecting four wins, four draws and one defeat. Their overall record against Ukrainian opposition is strong with just one loss in eleven matches. Madrid fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 the last time the teams met in Kiev in November 2004, with Maris Verpakovskis and Raúl among the scorers.
Raúl threat
• Including his double on Matchday 2, Raúl has scored in four of Madrid's last five encounters with Dynamo and also struck three goals for Spain against Ukraine in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying.
• Predrag Mijatović, Madrid sporting director, found the net in a 1-1 first-leg draw with Dynamo in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Bernabéu. Dynamo's 2-0 win in the return was their last against Spanish opposition.
• Dynamo's 1-1 draw at FC Steaua Bucuresti on Matchday 5 confirmed they would miss out on third. Although Florin Cernat gave them an interval lead, Nicolae Dica's 69th-minute equaliser denied them the win they needed.
• With just one point from five matches, unless they take all three against Madrid, Dynamo will end up 'surpassing' their efforts in the 1994/95 season, when they finished the group stage with one win and five losses.
Strong signals
• For Madrid, a victory in Kiev would leave them with four wins in the group stage for the first time since 2003/04 – which, incidentally, was the last season they got as far as the quarter-finals.
• Madrid's 2-2 home draw with Lyon on Matchday 5 left the French side out of reach at the group summit. Although Madrid could yet climb level with Lyon on 13 points, the French champions have the better head-to-head record. Fabio Capello's side actually trailed Lyon 2-0 but fought back through goals from former Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra and Ruud van Nistelrooy. The latter then had a last-minute penalty saved by Grégory Coupet.
• Dynamo were well beaten at the Santiago Bernabéu on Matchday 2, going down 5-1. Van Nistelrooy (2), Raúl González (2) and José Antonio Reyes all found the net for Madrid, with Artim Milevskiy getting Dynamo's goal.
Story so far
• After starting out with a 2-0 loss to Lyon, that victory sparked a three-match winning streak for the Merengues who went on to defeat Steaua 4-1 and 1-0. Dynamo, on the other hand, never recovered from a 4-1 home defeat by Steaua on Matchday 1 and successive losses to Lyon followed their defeat in Madrid.
• Madrid have fared better in the teams' previous encounters, collecting four wins, four draws and one defeat. Their overall record against Ukrainian opposition is strong with just one loss in eleven matches. Madrid fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 the last time the teams met in Kiev in November 2004, with Maris Verpakovskis and Raúl among the scorers.
Raúl threat
• Including his double on Matchday 2, Raúl has scored in four of Madrid's last five encounters with Dynamo and also struck three goals for Spain against Ukraine in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying.
• Predrag Mijatović, Madrid sporting director, found the net in a 1-1 first-leg draw with Dynamo in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Bernabéu. Dynamo's 2-0 win in the return was their last against Spanish opposition.