Twente host two-time finalists Marseille
Friday, January 23, 2009
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FC Twente will look to deny Olympique de Marseille, losing finalists in 1999 and 2004, the chance to continue their latest bid for UEFA Cup glory when the two sides meet in the Netherlands in their Round of 32 decider.
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FC Twente will look to deny Olympique de Marseille, losing finalists in 1998/99 and 2003/04, the chance to continue their latest bid for UEFA Cup glory when the two sides meet in the Netherlands in the second leg of their Round of 32 tie.
• Twente lead 1-0 from the first leg, the two sides' first meeting in European club competition, with Marko Arnautovic scoring the only goal in France.
• Twente have now played six matches against opponents from France, losing four and winning two. Their two home games against Ligue 1 sides ended in a win and a defeat.
• Marseille are Twente's third French opponents this campaign. They edged out Stade Rennais FC on away goals in the first round and lost 4-0 at Paris Saint-Germain FC in Group A. Twente head coach Steve McClaren had no experience of facing Ligue 1 teams before this season.
• Marseille have now played ten games against Dutch sides, and their overall record reads W3 D1 L6. Their away record against Eredivisie opposition reads W1 D0 L3.
• Marseille met one of coach Erik Gerets's former clubs, Twente's Dutch rivals PSV Eindhoven, in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage. OM lost 2-0 in the Netherlands and won 3-0 at home.
• Former Belgium international right-back Gerets played in the Netherlands for MVV Maastricht in the 1984/85 season before a seven-year spell at PSV between 1985 and 1992. He later coached the Eindhoven club from 1999 to 2002.
• Gerets has now met Dutch opposition in five UEFA club competition matches - recording W1 D0 L4. Both away games ended in defeat.
• Gerets also represented Belgium in four matches against the Netherlands, accruing a record of W1 D1 L2. His solitary success against the Oranje came on home soil.
• Marseille's Dutch midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has Eredivisie experience in abundance, having represented PSV from 1994 until 1998.
• Zenden may also have some useful insights on Twente's tactical approach. The midfielder played under McClaren for two seasons at Middlesbrough FC between 2003 and 2005.
• Indeed, Zenden enjoyed an impressive stint under McClaren at the Riverside Stadium. He was the scorer of Boro's second goal in the 2003/04 League Cup final win over Bolton Wanderers FC, the club's first major trophy success, and was voted the fans' player of the year in 2004/05 - his second and final season on Teesside.
• This match will be Marseille's 50th UEFA Cup fixture.
• Twente have won each of their three UEFA Cup home games this season, all by one-goal margins.
• Marseille have won just twice on their last 15 European away days, with their record reading W2 D4 L9.
• Twente have never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in UEFA club competition.
• Marseille have been involved in two UEFA club competition penalty shoot-outs. They lost 5-3 to FK Crvena Zvezda after the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup final had ended goalless, but beat KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen 4-1 on penalties at home after a scoreless first-round tie in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup.
• Third in Ligue 1 last season, Marseille also finished third in UEFA Champions League Group D to qualify for the UEFA Cup Round of 32. Twente, who came fourth in the 2007/08 Eredivisie and earned a UEFA Champions League qualifying place via the end-of-season play-offs, were second in UEFA Cup Group A.
• Romeo Denneboom and Rob Wielaert, who hit two goals apiece, are Twente's top European scorers so far this campaign. The latter left the club in the January transfer window to join AFC Ajax.
• Mamadou Niang, scorer of two goals in UEFA Champions League qualifying and three in Group D, is OM's top marksman in Europe this season.
• Twente's Eljero Elia is suspended for this match, while team-mates Wout Brama, Douglas and Kenneth Perez are all within a booking of a one-match ban. The same goes for Marseille's Ronald Zubar.
• The winners of this tie will meet ACF Fiorentina or AFC Ajax in the Round of 16 on 12 and 18/19 March, playing the first leg at home.
• Therefore, there is the possibility of an all-Dutch affair in the next round if both Twente and Ajax come through their ties.