Stoichiţă seeking more Fenerbahçe success

Yet to score or concede in UEFA Europa League Group H, FC Steaua Bucureşti hope that Fenerbahçe SK's return to the Romanian capital augurs well as Mihai Stoichiţă looks to get one over on the Istanbul side for a second time.

Previous meetings
• The clubs met in the first round of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup, with Steaua – then as now under Stoichiţă – holding out after Tiberiu Csik's 49th-minute dismissal to secure a goalless draw before winning 2-1 against Otto Barić's men in Istanbul.

• The teams for the 0-0 draw in Bucharest on 16 September 1997 were:-
Steaua: Ritli, Miu, Matei, Rotariu (Baciu, 37), Răchită, Lăcătuş, Militaru (Nagy, 74), Ciocoiu (Munteanu, 46), Şerban, Roşu, Csik.
Fenerbahçe: Rüştü, Ilker Yağcıoğlu, Okechukwu, Høgh, Kemalettin Şentürk, Erol Bulut (Tarik Dasgün, 46), Tayfun Korkut, Bolić, Okocha, Saffet Sancaklı (Ilie, 74), Mustafa Doğan.

Match background
• The draw with Fenerbahçe was the only time Steaua have failed to beat Turkish visitors in four European attempts, with Galatasaray AŞ (twice) and Beşiktaş JK both having come unstuck in Bucharest.

• This will be Fenerbahçe's fourth game in Romania, with their three other visits – including their previous meeting with Steaua – netting them two draws and a defeat.

• Steaua are unbeaten in eight games in Europe, but after securing six straight wins at the start of that run, both of their UEFA Europa League group games have ended in 0-0 draws.

• Steaua have not conceded in their last four European home ties.

• Steaua's last victory in the group stage of a European competition was on 13 September 2006, a 4-1 UEFA Champions League win at FC Dynamo Kyiv.

• Qualifying aside, Steaua's last home victory in Europe was on 20 April 2006, 1-0 against Middlesbrough FC in a UEFA Cup semi-final. The English club won the return 4-2.

• Fenerbahçe are unbeaten in three away games in Europe this season and come to Bucharest on the back of two straight victories on their travels.

Team facts
• German coach Christoph Daum returned from 1. FC Köln for a second spell at the Fenerbahçe helm this summer. Celebrated in Germany for earning three Bundesliga runners-up slots with Bayer 04 Leverkusen and two with Köln, he twice coached Fener's local rivals Beşiktaş before claiming two titles in his first spell at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium between 2003 and 2006.

• Daum's best European season to date came in his first spell as Köln coach, when his side reached the semi-finals of the 1989/90 UEFA Cup, losing out to Juventus.

• Steaua became the first side to dismiss their coach after the start of the group stage, with owner George Becali sacking Italian trainer Cristiano Bergodi on the night of their 0-0 draw with FC Sheriff.

• His replacement, Stoichiţă, has returned to the club he led to the 1997/98 Romanian title. He has also coached PFC Litex Lovech, Panama, Armenia, Kuwait and most recently AEL Limassol FC in Cyprus.

• Fenerbahçe go into what will be their 159th continental fixture three shy of their 200th goal in UEFA club competition.

• Fenerbahçe's Emre Belözoğlu was fouled 13 times in the opening two UEFA Europa League group-stage games – more than any other player.

• Fenerbahçe's Deivid celebrates his 30th birthday on the day of the match.

• Fenerbahçe's Bilica has previous experience of Romanian football, with the Brazilian midfielder having represented CFM Universitatea Cluj in the 2007/08 season.

• This is not the only game between Romanian and Turkish sides on Matchday 3 as Galatasaray AŞ and FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti will be locking horns in Group F.

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