Utrecht need to make home form count

FC Utrecht will look to their impressive home form in this season’s competition to overcome a 2-0 defeat in their opening group game at Real Zaragoza.

Comfortable win
In the first round, the 2002/03 and 2003/04 Dutch Cup holders beat Swedish champions Djurgårdens IF by 4-0 at home, before qualifying for the group stages with a 4-3 win on aggregate. Two goals from Stéphane Tanghe, and one each from Hans van de Haar and Dave van den Bergh set up a fine first leg victory.

Soviet meeting
Utrecht have met a Ukrainian club in UEFA club competitions, but back in the days of the former Soviet Union, when they met Dinamo Kiev (now FC Dynamo Kyiv). In the first round of the 1985/86 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, Utrecht won 2-1 at home, and were a goal ahead in the return leg, but Kiev hit back to take the match 4-1 and the tie 5-3 on aggregate and were to go on to win the competition.

Belgians beaten
In their opening group game, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk gained a 3-2 win against Club Brugge KV. Oleh Venhlinskiy scored twice and Olexandr Rykun also found the net, to continue their fine run from the second qualifying round. FC Dnipro have met Dutch opposition in UEFA club competition, when they were also part of the former Soviet Union.

Protasov double
Dnipro faced PSV Eindhoven in the 1985/86 UEFA Cup and two goals from Oleh Protasov helped to gain a fine 2-2 draw at Eindhoven. Gennadiy Litovchenko then won the tie for Dnipro with the only goal of the return leg. The clubs had met in the same season as Utrecht had faced Dynamo, 20 seasons ago.

Kruys link
But for one Utrecht player, a home win would be revenge. Rick Kruys is a current midfielder with the club…his father, Gert Kruys, had scored the first goal for Utrecht in the losing tie against Dynamo Kiev 20 seasons ago.