Team news

Moskal upbeat over chances Wisla Krakow coach Kazimierz Moskal remains optimistic about his side's chances of reaching the last 16 of the Europa League.

Standard Liege will start the second leg in the driving seat after Gohi Bi Cyriac's penalty gave the Belgian side an away goal to take back to the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

But Wisla head to Belgium on the back of a brave effort which saw Tsvetan Genkov snatch an 88th-minute equaliser, despite playing for over an hour with 10 men due to Michal Czekaj's 27th-minute sending-off.

Moskal told www.wp.pl: "I have optimism and faith in the team from what I saw in that first match. We played for over an hour weakened, but we dictated the play." Moskal's team will have to prepare for a hot atmosphere in front of the passionate Liege crowd and expects Liege to push early on but believes his side will have their chances.

"Standard in the first few minutes will move forward and, playing in front of a home crowd, will want to put in a good performance," he said. "Everyone in this situation would like to get the first goal.

"Their defence won't be so great that we won't get chances to score." It will be a stern test for Wisla a team who have conceded 14 goals in the tournament and barely scraped through the group stages, against a Liege side who had the best defensive record out of any team in the groups.

Neither team heads into the game in the best of form, though, with both having claimed just one win from their last four games.

Liege coach Jose Riga hopes his side can show more maturity than what they did in Krakow.

"A draw while we were playing against a side with 10 men shows a lack of maturity," he told sportmagazine.levif.be. "Too many players were below their level." Standard Liege go into the game after a difficult week with physio Guy Namurois having died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 51.

Liege fans will pay tribute to Namurois with a minute's applause in the 51st minute.

The winner of this tie will play either Hannover or Liege's compatriots Club Brugge.

Standard Liege vs Wisla Krakow

Last modified 20:21 23/02/12

Liege sneak through Standard Liege progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League after an uninspiring goalless draw in their second-leg clash with Wisla Krakow was enough to send them through on the away goal rule.

Gohi Bi Cyriac's penalty in Poland proved decisive while, as in the first leg, Wisla ended the match with 10 men following the dismissal of Gervasio Nunez at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

Neither showed a great deal as an attacking force in a tentative opening to the game, Lukasz Gargula's free-kick easily held by Liege goalkeeper Sinan Bolat in the first effort on goal.

The match did not improve as the first half went on, the game littered with fouls with neither side creating any openings from the resulting free-kicks.

From a foul by Osman Chavez on Mohammed Tchite, Sebastien Pocognoli sent in a free-kick from the right for the hosts which found Cyriac whose header went wide.

Wisla Krakow keeper Sergei Pareiko was put under pressure seven minutes before the break when he was forced to punch clear Pocognoli's free-kick from the left.

Pocognoli then blocked Lukasz Gargula's shot shortly before half-time as an uninspiring half came to an end.

Cyriac put a header wide, Pareiko gathered another Pocognoli free-kick and Mohamed Tchite sent a shot wide from distance with Liege looking comfortable.

Wisla's job then became doubly hard when they were reduced to 10 men when Nunez was dismissed following his second yellow card for a foul on Reginal Goreux.

It meant they were forced to play a man down for 27 minutes and, given they had not been a threat with a full complement, progress seemed unlikely.

Pocognoli's free-kick hit the wall before Dudu Biton missed the target shortly after coming on for Wisla.

Biton's introduction had given the Polish side some impetus as they forced a couple of corners before Tsvetan Genkov shot over the bar with three minutes left.

However, Liege were maintaining possession, forcing two corners, and Michy Batshuayi twice had efforts on goal.