Palermo lying in wait for Lausanne
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Article summary
The mission for US Città di Palermo will be to bolster their recent home record in European contests against an FC Lausanne-Sport side visiting Italy for the second time in Group F.
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Article body
US Città di Palermo will look to beef up their home record in UEFA club competition as UEFA Europa League Group F sees Swiss second division side FC Lausanne-Sport visit Italy for a second time.
Previous meetings
• The teams have never crossed paths in UEFA club competition before and this will also be Palermo's first meeting with a team from Switzerland.
• Lausanne's only encounters with Italian opposition came when they met eventual winners S.S. Lazio in the first round of the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They drew 1-1 in Rome and 2-2 in Lausanne to bow out on away goals.
Match background
• Prior to sweeping aside NK Maribor 3-0 in this season's UEFA Europa League play-offs, Palermo had not won in three European home matches, a run that stretched back to a 3-0 victory against West Ham United FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round.
• Palermo are making their third appearance in a UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League group stage but have taken the points in only one of their four home games at this level, beating Brøndby IF 3-0 in the 2005/06 edition.
• Competing in the UEFA Europa League despite playing their domestic football in the Swiss second division, last season's defeated Swiss Cup finalists Lausanne are unbeaten in three European away matches this season.
• Lausanne last tasted a defeat away in Europe against FC Basel 1893, suffering a 3-0 reverse in the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-finals. The same side overcame them 6-0 in the 2010 Swiss Cup final.
Team facts
• Hired to replace Walter Zenga as Palermo coach in November 2009, Delio Rossi never rose higher than Serie B as a player and took a while to make it to the top level after switching professions. However, his reputation was cemented thanks to a spell at Lazio from 2005 to 2009, where he won the Italian Cup in his final season.
• Lausanne coach Martin Rueda won five caps for Switzerland as a defender, representing Grasshopper-Club, FC Wettingen 93, FC Luzern and Neuchâtel Xamax FC in UEFA club competition.
• Born to Spanish parents, Rueda played in three two-legged ties against Italian sides as a player, with Grasshoppers, Wettingen and Xamax. His record was W0 D2 L4 (W0 D0 L3 in Italy).
