Goal-shy Utrecht host porous Steaua

The coaches of both FC Utrecht and FC Steaua Bucureşti may find old memories being stirred up as the sides look for a first win in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• The two teams are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition.

• Utrecht's only previous tie against a Romanian team came in the 1980/81 UEFA Cup first round, where they drew 0-0 at FC Argeş Piteşti – now FC 2005 SA Argeş – and won 2-0 at home.

• Utrecht coach Ton du Chatinier played for the club in both of those games.

• The first leg of that tie was Utrecht's first fixture in UEFA club competition, though they played a number of games in the non-UEFA affiliated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

• Steaua's eight meetings with Dutch clubs have ended W2 D2 L4 (W1 D1 L2 away). They have not lost on their last two trips to the Netherlands, and drew 0-0 away and 1-1 at home against FC Twente in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Steaua coach Marius Lăcătuş scored the winner as Steaua beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 in the first leg of their 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round meeting. He also struck to put his side ahead in the return fixture, though they went on to lose 5-1 in the Netherlands.

Match background
• Utrecht have yet to score or concede a goal in Group K, drawing both of their opening fixtures 0-0. They have gone 326 minutes without shipping a European goal since Georgios Samaras scored Celtic FC's second in a 2-0 UEFA Europa League play-off first leg defeat.

• Utrecht are unbeaten in five European home games, and have kept clean sheets in their last four UEFA club competition fixtures at the Stadion Galgenwaard. However, they are still awaiting their first home win in a group stage, having lost two and drawn one so far.

• Steaua have gone five games without a victory on their European travels, and have won only twice in 26 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage away games. They have gone 12 matches without a group stage away success since winning 4-1 at FC Dynamo Kyiv in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League.

Team facts
• Alongside PFC Levski Sofia, Steaua have the worst defensive record in the group stage to date, conceding seven goals in their opening two games.

• Du Chatinier represented Utrecht as a defender for the whole of his ten-year professional career, and has not strayed too far from the club since, serving as a youth coach, caretaker manager and assistant boss before being given sole command at the end of 2008.

• Lăcătuş is in his third stint as Steaua coach, having replaced replaced Ilie Dumitrescu on 26 September. The 46-year-old former Romania forward is the club's most successful player of all time, having won ten league titles, seven Romanian Cups, the European Champion Clubs' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup during two spells with the capital side.