København v APOEL background

Ståle Solbakken can settle an old score as København face APOEL for a second time in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.

Previous meetings
• In their only previous meetings, Ivan Jovanović's APOEL eliminated Solbakken's FCK in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League play-offs. Zdeněk Pospěch scored the only goal as FCK won in Copenhagen, but Kamil Kosowski (2) and Chrysostomos Michail (18pen 41) struck in a 3-1 home victory for APOEL in the return leg.

• Current APOEL men Nektarios Alexandrou and Nuno Morais played in both legs of that tie; Mikael Antonsson, Mathias Jørgensen and William Kvist featured in the matches for FCK, while Thomas Delaney was an unused substitute in the second leg.

• FCK's only previous games against Cypriot opponents were in that tie; APOEL's record in eight encounters with Danish sides is W3 D1 L4 (W2 D0 L2 at home – W1 D1 L2 in Denmark).

• APOEL eliminated another Danish club – Aalborg – in the 2014/15 play-offs and overcame Midtjylland on away goals in last season's third qualifying round; they are thus unbeaten in their last three ties against Danish opponents since a 7-0 aggregate loss to B1903 København in the 1979/80 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Match background
• FCK defeated Crusaders and Astra Giurgiu to reach this stage, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one.

• FCK have won only one of their five UEFA Champions League play-off ties, ousting Rosenborg on away goals in 2010/11. They have lost to APOEL (2009/10), Viktoria Plzeň (2011/12), LOSC Lille (2012/13) and Bayer Leverkusen (2014/15).

• APOEL eliminated The New Saints and Rosenborg in the second and third qualifying rounds respectively; they have won 3-0 in both of their European home games this season.

• APOEL have not won in six European away fixtures (D1 L5) since they prevailed 2-1 against Midtjylland on 28 July 2015.

• APOEL won their first three play-off ties before being eliminated by Astana at this stage last season.

Aílton, now in Saudi Arabia, has represented both clubs©Getty Images

Team and coach links
• Former APOEL striker Aílton was signed from FCK in summer 2010 and would go on to lead the Legend to the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Coach profiles
• APOEL's Thomas Christiansen was raised in Copenhagen and represented FCK's rivals Brøndby as a youngster prior to being picked up by Barcelona. Capped twice by Spain – his mother's home country – he also played in Greece and Germany, and joined APOEL after a two-year spell in charge of AEK Larnaca.

• Former Norway midfielder Solbakken has won six Danish titles in the course of two stints as FCK coach. Hired for a second time in August 2013, he picked up Danish championships with Aalborg and FCK as a player. FCK coach from 2006 to 2011, he tried his luck elsewhere with Köln and Wolverhampton Wanderers before returning to Copenhagen.