Memories to flood back in Istanbul

Having played their very first UEFA club competition tie against each other, Galatasaray AŞ and FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti are gearing up to meet again, with both hungry for points in a tight UEFA Europa League Group F.

Previous meetings
• The clubs crossed paths in two previous two-legged ties, with the first – in the preliminary round of the 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup – representing both teams' UEFA club competition debut.

• Angelo Niculescu's Dinamo won the first leg in Bucharest 3-1, with Gündüz Kılıç's Galatasaray prevailing 2-1 in the return fixture. The teams for that game, on 30 September 1956, were:-
Galatasaray: Turgay Şeren, Saim Tayşengil, Enver Özdemir, Kadri Aytaç, Ergun Ercins, Ünal Atay, İsfendiyar Açıksöz, Suat Mamat, Ali Beratlıgil, Metin Oktay, Güngör Okay.
Dinamo: Uţu, Gheorghe Băcuţ, Ladislau Băcuţ, Anghel, Călinoiu, Nunweiler, Mihai, Neagu, Ene, Voica, Suru.

• Dinamo were eliminated by PFC CSKA Sofia – then named CDNA Sofia – in the next round.

• Kılıç's Galatasaray avenged that 1956 defeat in the same round of the 1962/63 competition, drawing 1-1 in Romania before seeing off Nicolae Nicuşor Dumitru's charges 3-0 at home.

• The teams for that game, on 16 September 1962 were:-
Galatasaray: Turgay Şeren, Candemir Berkman, Ahmet Berman, Ergun Ercins, Talat Özkarslı, Suat Mamat, Metin Oktay, Mustafa Yürür, Kadri Aytaç, Uğur Kökten, Tarık Kutver.
Dinamo: Datcu, Constantinescu, Nunweiler, Popa, Alexandru, Stefan, Eftimie, Ene, Pîrcălab, Unguroiu, Varga.

• Galatasaray went on to reach the quarter-finals, succumbing to eventual winners AC Milan.

Match background
• With their two previous ties against Dinamo included, Galatasaray are unbeaten in five home games against Romanian opponents.

• Dinamo have contested four games in Turkey, losing three but winning the other when they prevailed 1-0 at Boluspor in a 1974/75 UEFA Cup first round encounter.

• Galatasaray are unbeaten in eight European fixtures this season, with their 1-1 Matchday 2 draw with SK Sturm Graz ending a run of three straight home wins in which they averaged over four goals per game and conceded none.

• Dinamo have lost just one of their last five European away encounters, earning three victories in the process.

Team facts
• Galatasaray coach Frank Rijkaard won friendly games against Romania as both a player (2-0 on 1 June 1988) and a coach (2-1 on 27 May 2000) with the Netherlands. He was also in the Milan side which beat FC Steaua Bucureşti 4-0 in the 1988/89 European Champion Clubs' Cup final.

• Dinamo have dismissed coach Dario Bonetti since their last UEFA Europa League game, with the Italian lasting just three months in the job. "I cannot say anything against Dario's professionalism," commented club president Nicolae Badea.

• His assistant, Ion Marin, has been placed in temporary charge, having led the club to the Romanian title in a previous coaching stint in 2002. Marin was a defender for Dinamo from 1973 to 1985. This is his third spell as the club's coach.

• Dinamo's Gabriel Tamaş and Florin Bratu played for Galatasaray in the 2003/04 season.

• Galatasaray goalkeeper Leo Franco and Dinamo defender Francisco Molinero were team-mates at Club Atlético de Madrid from 2004 to 2006.

• The clubs share a famous former coach in Mircea Lucescu, who lifted last season's UEFA Cup trophy with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. The former Dinamo and Romania striker coached his old club from 1986 to 1990, winning both cup and league titles, and led Galatasaray from 2000 to 2002, bringing in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup and a domestic championship in 2001/02.

• The two sides meet again in Romania on 5 November for Matchday 4.