Dinamo must fulfil their side of the bargain

NK Dinamo Zagreb have a chance to make it to the UEFA Europa League round of 32, but must win at home against FC Timişoara and hope the result goes their way in the other Group A fixture.

• Dinamo need AFC Ajax to beat RSC Anderlecht at the Amsterdam ArenA to have any chance of reaching the last 32. If that happens, a win against Timişoara will open their path to the knockout phase.

Previous meetings
• Dinamo won 3-0 in Romania when the sides first met on Matchday 2, in Timişoara's first game against Croatian opponents. Dinamo's three previous home matches with Romanian sides have ended in two wins and – most recently – a 3-2 defeat by FC Steaua Bucureşti in 1993.

• Timişoara have drawn three of their last four European away games, but are yet to win in five UEFA club competition fixtures on their travels. The city's previous big side, FC Politehnica Timişoara, lost all eight of their continental away games too.

Match background
• This is Timişoara's first campaign in a UEFA club competition group stage. Dinamo appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage on three occasions, but never qualified for the round of 32.

• Dinamo lost their last two European home games 2-0, and have won only one of their last seven UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League group-stage ties in Zagreb (3-2 v NEC Nijmegen on 23 October 2008), failing to find the target in five of those fixtures.

Team facts 
• Ioan Ovidiu Sabău, a former Romania midfielder, is in his first season as Timişoara coach. As a player he won Romanian titles with FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti and FC Rapid Bucureşti and played abroad with Feyenoord (winning two Dutch Cups), Brescia Calcio and AC Reggiana.

• Dinamo coach Krunoslav Jurčić is also a former international midfielder, winning 21 caps for Croatia. He spent much of his career with Dinamo but also played abroad for Belgian side KSK Beveren, and in Italy for Torino FC and UC Sampdoria.

• Croatia and Romania have met in three friendly games, all of them in Romania, drawing 2-2 in 1942 before the visitors won in 2002 (1-0 at the Dan Păltinişanu Stadium) and in February 2009 (2-1).

• They also encountered each other in a 1998 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match in Bordeaux, eventual third-place finishers Croatia coming out on top 1-0.

• Dinamo's Milan Badelj committed more fouls than any other player in the first five matchdays, 21 in total, receiving four yellow cards, a total only FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti's Ousmane N'Doye can match.