By The Numbers: Sporting KC at Deportivo Saprissa - Oct. 23, 2014

Sporting Kansas City hopes to book their place in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage with a favorable result against Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa Thursday in San Jose (9 p.m. CT, Fox Soccer Plus). The challenge will be far from easy, as Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma -- nicknamed "The Monster's Cave" -- is one of the most daunting venues in the CONCACAF region. The Monstruo Morado are 12-1-1 in Primera Division home matches since the beginning of 2014.

Currently second place in the Costa Rican top flight, Saprissa has caught fire under Jeaustin Campos, the club's sporting director who assumed managerial duties Sept. 30. The club has rattled off five straight wins since Oct. 5, posting three clean sheets during that stretch.

Here's a closer look at the matchup in our By The Numbers preview.

Qualification Scenarios

• Sporting KC will advance to the 2014-15 CCL quarterfinals with a win or draw, and can also move to the knockout round with a one-goal loss or a two-goal loss so long as Sporting KC scores two or more goals.
• Saprissa would advance with a 2-0 victory or with a three-goal or greater margin of victory.
• A 3-1 victory by Saprissa would leave the teams deadlocked on every tiebreaker and would result in a drawing of the lots to determine the group winner.

Sporting KC

• Sporting KC is the only MLS team making a second consecutive appearance in the CCL.
• Sporting KC is 4-6-2 all-time in competitive international road matches (17 GF, 25 GA).
• Sporting KC has just one loss in their last five road matches in international competition dating back to 2009.
• Eric Kronberg has five shutouts in seven CCL appearances. His five clean sheets in competitive international matches are a club record.
• Antonio Dovale is the only Sporting KC player on the current roster with three CCL goals. He is tied for second on the club's scoring chart in international matches, one behind Chris Brown.
• Claudio Bieler, Dom Dwyer and Soony Saad each have two career CCL goals.
• Jorge Claros leads the current roster with 12 CCL appearances, nine of them coming with Honduran club Motagua from 2010-12.
• Sporting KC is looking to join fellow MLS clubs Montreal Impact and D.C. United in the 2014-15 CCL quarterfinals.

Deportivo Saprissa

• Saprissa is 9-3-1 in the 2014 Costa Rican Primera Division Apertura, tied for second place and three points behind leaders Alajuelense.
• Saprissa is 5-0-0 in their last five matches, scoring nine goals and conceding two.
• Ariel Rodriguez (4), Juan Bustos (3) and Carlos Saucedo (3) are the club’s top
  scorers in the Primera Division, but 10 other players have at least one goal in
  domestic competition.
• Defender Adolfo Machado (985 minutes) and midfielder Keilor Soto (913 minutes) lead Saprissa in league minutes played.
• Ariel Rodriguez has powered the Monstruo Morado in CCL competition, scoring four of the
  club’s five group stage goals.
• Five Saprissa players -- goalkeeper Kevin Briceno, forward David Ramires and midfielders Manfred Russell, Juan Bustos and David Guzman -- received call-ups for the 2014 Copa Centroamerica, a tournament Costa Rica won on Sept. 13 with a 1-0 defeat of Guatemala in the final.
• Costa Rican clubs are 5-1-5 in the 2014-15 CCL. Alajuelense (1-0-3 in Group 6) and Herediano (3-0-1 in Group 7) have qualified for the knockout stage after winning their respective groups.

Suspended for Thursday's match (caution accumulation):

• Sporting KC - M Graham Zusi
• Saprissa - D Jordan Smith

Suspended for first leg of 2014-15 CCL Quarterfinal with a yellow card on Thursday:

• Sporting KC - D Aurelien Collin, D Igor Juliao, D, Seth Sinovic, M Paulo Nagamura
• Saprissa - GK Dany Alvarez, D Rafael Morales, D Gabriel Badilla, M David Guzman, M Juan Bustos, F Daniel Colindres, 

Players with international senior team caps in 2014

Head-to-Head

Before this year, the clubs' only other meetings came in the quarterfinals of the 2005 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Eventual champion Saprissa advanced 2-1 on aggregate.

Club Honors