Advantage Marseille as Benfica visit

Olympique de Marseille know that they will be through to the quarter-finals if they do not concede in the home leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie against SL Benfica, with an away goal in Lisbon potentially crucial.

• Benfica looked set to take a one-goal lead into the decisive fixture after Maxi Pereira put them ahead after 76 minutes, but Hatem Ben Arfa struck in the final minute to level.

Previous meetings
• In the sides' only previous tie, Sven-Göran Eriksson's Benfica beat Gérard Gili's Marseille on away goals in the 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals following a 2-1 away defeat and a 1-0 home win.

• The teams for the first leg in Marseille on 4 April 1990 were:
Marseille: Castaneda, Amoros, Di Meco (Vercruysse, 58), Deschamps, Mozer, Germain, Sauzee, Tigana, Papin, Francescoli, Waddle.
Benfica: Silvino, José Carlos, Ricardo Gomes, Veloso, Aldair, Thern (Diamantino Miranda, 75), Vítor Paneira, Hernâni, Lima (Pacheco, 65), Valdo, Magnusson.

• Current Marseille coach Didier Deschamps played in both legs.

• Benfica went on to lose the final 1-0 to AC Milan in Vienna, Frank Rijkaard scoring the only goal.

Match background
• Since meeting Portuguese opponents for the first time in that semi-final against Benfica, Marseille have twice been drawn with FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Their record in seven matches against Portuguese sides reads W1 D2 L4 (W1 D1 L1 at home). That first-leg win against Benfica in 1990 is their only victory against Portuguese Liga opponents.

• Benfica's record in 17 European games against French opposition reads W7 D5 L5 (W2 D1 L5 in France). They have not won in their last four visits to France since a 3-0 victory at Montpellier Hérault SC in the 1988/89 UEFA Cup first round.

• Marseille's four home games in Europe this season have ended in two wins and two defeats.

• Benfica are unbeaten in their last three European away games, recording two wins and a draw since kicking off the season with successive away defeats.

• Benfica coach Jorge Jesus reached the last 16 of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup with his previous side SC Braga, only to bow out to Marseille's traditional rivals Paris Saint-Germain FC, losing 1-0 on aggregate.

Team facts
• The winners of the last two editions of the UEFA Cup (FC Zenit St. Petersburg in 2007/08 and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008/09) both beat Marseille in the knockout phase en route to their final successes.

• The opener in Lisbon was the first time Marseille midfielder Lucho González had returned to Portugal since he left Porto in the summer. The Argentinian was a popular player at the Estádio do Dragão, earning the nickname 'El Comandante' (The Commander) for his influence on team-mates.

• Weldon played with Souleymane Diawara at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in 2005/06.

• Javi García could find himself up against team-mates from his days at Real Madrid CF: he played alongside Fernando Morientes in 2004/05  and served with Gabriel Heinze last season.

• Heinze, who missed the first leg due to a leg injury, spent part of 1998/99 at Sporting Clube de Portugal.

• César Peixoto took on Marseille with Porto, featuring in a 3-2 UEFA Champions League group-stage win in France on 22 October 2003.

• Óscar Cardozo is the UEFA Europa League's second most prolific scorer this season with six goals. Fernando Llorente of eliminated Athletic Club boasts the same total, while Werder Bremen's Claudio Pizarro leads the pack on eight.

• Ángel Di María has produced more assists than any player since the start of the group stage, setting up a total of six strikes.

• The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be staged at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday 19 March. There is no country protection.

Penalties
• Marseille have featured in three UEFA club competition penalty shoot-outs, beating FC Twente (7-6 in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32) and KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen (4-1, 2005/06 UEFA Cup first round), but losing 5-3 to FK Crvena Zvezda in the 1990/91 European Cup final in Bari.

• Benfica have taken part in two European penalty shoot-outs, losing 6-5 to PSV Eindhoven after a 0-0 draw in the 1987/88 European Cup final in Stuttgart. They then won 4-1 against PAOK FC at home after a 3-3 aggregate draw in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round.