Atlético holding aces as Valencia visit

Club Atlético de Madrid may have the edge as they host Liga rivals Valencia CF in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final decider, with their two away goals from the 2-2 draw at Mestalla potentially of huge value.

• Valencia looked the stronger side for much of the game, but went behind to a Diego Forlán tap-in (59) before Manuel Fernandes (66) struck a thunderous equaliser. Antonio López's header (72) looked to have won the game but David Villa's 82nd-minute strike levelled matters on the night.

Previous meetings
• Last Thursday's opener was the clubs' first meeting in UEFA club competition, but they know each other well from domestic football. They have met 140 times in the Spanish league, with Valencia having the edge. Their record is W53 D36 L51.

• They first met on 20 January 1935 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid with Atlético running out 5-2 winners. Valencia took their revenge in the Mestalla return with a 2-0 triumph.

• A Luis Aragonés-led Atlético enjoyed their best ever triumph over Valencia on 10 November 1985, winning 5-0 at home against a side who were relegated that season.

• Valencia's biggest victory over Atlético in the Liga came on 4 December 1949, 6-0 at home.

• In their 72 Liga meetings at the Vicente Calderón, Atlético's record reads W33 D18 L21.

• In the Liga this season, the sides drew 2-2 at the Mestalla on 26 September before Atlético overwhelmed their guests 4-1 in Madrid on 28 February.

• In the clubs' most recent two-legged knockout tie, Valencia prevailed on away goals in the 2007/08 Spanish Cup quarter-finals en route to winning the competition. Valencia won 1-0 at home and lost 3-2 in Madrid.

• In ten two-legged Spanish Cup contests, Atlético still hold the upper hand with seven aggregate victories to Valencia's three. In addition to those games, Valencia beat Atlético 3-0 in the 1999 final, but Atlético beat Valencia 2-1 in the 1972 final.

Match background
• There have been 41 all-Spanish games in the history of UEFA club competitions, ten involving Valencia and eight featuring Atlético.

• Atlético have recorded three wins, a draw and four losses against Spanish sides in Europe. Their most famous meeting with a Liga side came in the semi-final of the 1958/59 European Champion Clubs' Cup when they were beaten by city rivals Real Madrid CF in a play-off following a 2-2 aggregate draw.

• Valencia have fared well against compatriot clubs in European competition, winning all four of their two-legged ties including the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona. Their biggest game of all against a team from Spain in Europe, however, ended in disappointment as they went on to lose 3-0 to Real Madrid in the final that year.

• Atlético's record in three games at home against Spanish opponents in Europe reads W3 D0 L0. Valencia's record in four matches away to Liga sides in UEFA club competition reads W2 D1 L1.

• Atlético are without a win in their last five European home fixtures (four draws and a defeat) since beating Panathinaikos FC 2-0 in this season's UEFA Champions League play-offs.

• Valencia have lost only once in 11 UEFA club competition away games, going down 1-0 at Club Brugge KV in the UEFA Europa League round of 32. That remains their only defeat in 21 European games under Unai Emery.

• This is Atlético's first quarter-final appearance since they beat AS Roma in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup, en route to a semi-final loss against Parma FC. Valencia last appeared in a quarter-final when they lost to Chelsea FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League. At the time, Quique Sánchez Flores was their coach.

Team facts
• Atlético's coach since October, Quique Flores spent much of his playing career as a full-back at Mestalla and was in charge at Valencia from 2005 to 2007.

• Central midfielder Rubén Baraja joined Valencia from Atlético in 2000 following the capital club's relegation from the Liga. He helped Valencia reach the UEFA Champions League final in his first season, where they lost on penalties to FC Bayern München.

• Argentinian midfielder Éver Banega spent last season on loan at Atlético from Valencia. He moved to the Mestalla from CA Boca Juniors in January 2008.

• Atlético's Portugal midfielder Simão and international team-mate Miguel, the Valencia defender, were both at SL Benfica between 2002 and 2005, winning the Portuguese Cup in 2003/04 and the Liga the following season. Valencia midfielder Manuel Fernandes was also at Benfica for those trophy-winning seasons.

• Valencia goalkeeper César Sánchez and Atlético midfielder José Manuel Jurado were registered at Real Madrid together (2002-05), though neither saw much in the way of first-team action. Quique Flores was coach of the Madrid youth team in the 2002/03 season.

• Jurado also played with Valencia's Miguel Ángel Moyá at RCD Mallorca in the 2008/09 season.

• Valencia's Serbian striker Nikola Žigić and Atlético's Juan Valera spent time together last season during loan spells in Santander with Real Racing Club.

• Atlético defender Juanito and Valencia midfielder Joaquín were Real Betis Balompié players from 1999 to 2006, winning the 2004/05 Spanish Cup together.

• Atlético forward José Antonio Reyes and Valencia defender Carlos Marchena were team-mates at Sevilla FC during the 1999/00 season, with the former making his first-team debut for the club in that campaign.

• Benfica's 23 goals since the start of the group stage make them the highest-scoring side left in the competition, though Valencia are not far off the pace with 22 goals.

• With four goals since the start of the UEFA Champions League group stage – two in that competition and two in the UEFA Europa League – Sergio Agüero is Atlético's top scorer in Europe this season.

• Midfielder Juan Mata is the only Valencia player to have featured in all eleven of their games since the start of the group stage. He has scored five goals in that time, but Villa is the club's top European scorer this season with six.

• Four of the sides in the quarter-finals competed in the UEFA Europa League group stage: Benfica, Fulham, Hamburger SV and Valencia. The other four transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage: Atlético, Liverpool FC, R. Standard de Liège and VfL Wolfsburg.

• By a quirk of the draw, all four quarter-final ties feature one side from the UEFA Champions League group stage and one from the UEFA Europa League.

• The winners face the victors of the contest between Benfica and Liverpool in the semi-finals on 22 and 29 April, playing the first leg at home. The club which comes through that meeting will be the nominal home team in the final in Hamburg on 12 May.

Penalties
• Atlético have lost all three of their UEFA club competition penalty shoot-outs to date: 7-6 at home to Derby County FC in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup, 3-1 at ACF Fiorentina in the 1989/90 UEFA Cup and 3-1 at home against Villarreal CF in a 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup final.

• Valencia have been involved in four European penalty shoot-outs, winning two and losing two: they took the 1979/80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with a 5-4 defeat of Arsenal FC but lost the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League final by the same margin.