Marseille out to hinder Heerenveen hopes

Despite being inactive on Matchday 2, Olympique de Marseille still lead UEFA Cup Group F by virtue of an impressive victory away to holders PFC CSKA Moskva in the opening round of fixtures. The French side next welcome SC Heerenveen, who have made a more circumspect start to their group campaign, to the Stade Vélodrome.

• Jean Fernandez's team earned a place in the UEFA Cup as one of three UEFA Intertoto Cup winners and started the section in style. The French club went to Russia and defeated CSKA 2-1 to throw the section wide open, as goals from Sabri Lamouchi and Mamadou Niang crowned an impressive performance against the 2005 Russian champions.

• Marseille now entertain Heerenveen, who have made a slower start to Group F. The Dutch club have drawn both their two games 0-0, first at FC Dinamo Bucuresti and then at home to CSKA. A first win, and a first goal, will be their aim in France.

• This will be the first meeting between the clubs in UEFA competition, but Marseille have previously played the Dutch giants AFC Ajax twice and Feyenoord. In 1971/72 the team from the south of France ran into Ajax in the European Champion Clubs' Cup second round and bowed out 6-2 on aggregate after suffering a 2-1 home defeat and a 4-1 reverse in Amsterdam. Johan Cruyff scored in both matches as the holders went on to retain the trophy.

• Marseille then met Ajax again in the semi-finals of the 1987/88 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, with the Dutch club once more taking control of the tie in the first match in France. Ajax ran out 3-0 winners at the Vélodrome thanks to two goals from Rob Witschge and a late effort from a young Dennis Bergkamp. Though Marseille won the return 2-1 in Amsterdam, the damage had already been done.

• Marseille's most recent meeting with a Dutch club took place in the second group stage of the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League when Feyenoord provided the opposition. Marseille lost 3-0 at De Kuip, and although the return game was drawn 0-0, Dutch superiority was maintained. However, although Feyenoord finished four points above their French rivals in the section, neither side was able to progress to the quarter-finals.

• Heerenveen have also found French clubs difficult opponents. In successive UEFA Intertoto Cup campaigns, the Eredivisie outfit lost 2-0 to FC Girondins de Bordeaux in 1995 and 3-1 to FC Nantes Atlantique the following summer.

• Heerenveen did remarkably well in 2000/01 to reach the UEFA Champions League first group stage. There their opposition included Olympique Lyonnais, who recorded victories in both games between the two sides. The French team won 3-1 in the first match at the Stade Gerland with Sonny Anderson and Steve Marlet among the goals. Marlet was on target again in the return at the Abe Lenstra stadium, where Steed Malbranque also scored to leave Heerenveen with a record of four straight losses against French clubs.