Skibbe looks to break duck in Eagles' nest
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Benfica's Luisão (left) in action on Matchday 1 (©Getty Images)
SL Benfica will welcome back their former captain on UEFA Cup Matchday 2 with Fernando Meira set to be in Michael Skibbe's side as the coach seeks a first win on Portuguese soil at the third attempt with Galatasaray AŞ.
• Now 30, central defender Meira joined Benfica from hometown club Vitória SC for €4m back in 2000 and did enough during his time in Lisbon to earn a €7.5m move on to VfB Stuttgart in January 2002.
• This is Benfica and Galatasaray's first meeting in UEFA club competition.
• Galatasaray have never been to Portugal before for a competitive fixture, but Benfica have played four games against Turkish teams over the course of two two-legged European ties.
• They beat Fenerbahçe 7-1 overall in the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round and then earned a 4-0 aggregate win against Altay GK in the preliminary round of the 1980/81 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
• Benfica's two home games against Turkish sides ended in a 7-0 win and a 4-0 success.
• Galatasaray's German coach Skibbe will be making his third trip to Portugal with a third team. His BV Borussia Dortmund team beat Boavista FC 3-1 at home in the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League first group stage then lost the return 1-0 in Porto.
• Skibbe's Leverkusen won 3-1 at home against UD Leiria in the first round of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, progressing to the group stage despite a 3-2 loss in the return fixture.
• Skibbe is thus yet to avoid defeat in a game on Portuguese soil.
• Benfica's Spanish coach Quique Sánchez Flores has never come up against Turkish opposition before.
• Benfica's Angel Di María is within a booking of a one-match suspension.
• The clubs have two former coaches in common. Scotsman Graeme Souness was in charge at Galatasaray in 1995/96 before a stint at the helm of Benfica between 1997 and 1999, while Croatian Tomislav Ivić coached the Istanbul giants in 1983/84 and the Lisbon outfit in 1992.
• Former Portuguese international Abel Xavier played for both clubs, representing Benfica from 1993 to 1995 and playing for Galatasaray in the 2003/03 season.
• Benfica earned a 1-1 draw at Hertha BSC Berlin on Matchday 1 while Turkish champions Galatasaray prevailed 1-0 over Greek counterparts Olympiacos CFP in Istanbul, with Harry Kewell heading the only goal of the game.
• FC Metalist Kharkiv are at home against Hertha in Matchday 2's other Group B game. Olympiacos are the only team in the section not in action on Thursday.
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