PSG preparing for BATE arrival
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Article summary
Unbeaten in their last 13 European games at Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain FC will hope to make home advantage count against an FC BATE Borisov side on their first trip to France.
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Paris Saint-Germain FC welcome FC BATE Borisov with a place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 up for grabs, a 2-2 draw in Minsk last week having tilted the tie in the home side's favour.
• The Belarusian champions went ahead early on through Renan Bressan. Mevlüt Erdinç restored parity before half-time, but it seemed debutant Mikhail Gordeychuk had given his side a lead to take to Paris in the 81st minute only for Péguy Luyindula's late header to level matters.
Previous meetings
• This is the clubs' first tie with neither having faced opponents from their rivals' home country before.
• Belarusian and French sides have only been brought together in four previous UEFA club competition games, all of them in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Three ended in 2-2 draws, while the French side won the other, with LOSC Lille Métropole beating FC Dinamo Minsk 2-1 in the 2004 competition.
Match background
• PSG are unbeaten in 13 European home games (eight wins and five draws) since a 4-2 loss to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage. Prior to their 4-2 win against Sevilla FC in their last UEFA Europa League home game of 2010, they had gone seven European matches without conceding at Parc des Princes.
• PSG have not lost in their last four European away games, earning a 1-0 win and three draws since the start of the UEFA Europa League group stage.
• BATE have played six away games in Europe this season, winning three, drawing one and losing two.
• This is the first springtime tie BATE have contested in a UEFA club competition, having made it through to the round of 32 for the first time in their history.
Team facts
• This is PSG's 150th game in UEFA club competiton; the previous 149 ended W75 D37 L37.
• BATE have conceded more UEFA Europa League goals this season than any side left in the competition: 13. The Belarusian champions' Vitali Rodionov has also conceded more fouls than any player in the competition; 30 since the start of the group stage.
• The next goal BATE concede will be their 100th to have got past them in UEFA club competition. This will be their 74th UEFA club competition game.
• In a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying game played in September, Aleksandr Yurevich, Igor Shitov and Vitali Rodionov all featured for a Belarus side that won 1-0 in Paris against a France team including Guillaume Hoarau.
• The overall winners will take on the victors in the tie between SL Benfica and VfB Stuttgart in the round of 16 on 10 and 17 March, playing the first leg away from home.
