PAOK out to douse CSKA home fires

The odds are stacked against PAOK FC as they come to Moscow for the concluding leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against PFC CSKA Moskva one down against a side in stunning form at home.

• Tomáš Necid scored the only goal of the first leg after 29 minutes, chesting down Georgi Schennikov's cross and shooting into the ground past Kostas Chalkias.

Previous meetings
• This is the clubs' first tie in Europe and also both sides' maiden contest against a team from their opponents' home country.

• Including the first leg, the 22 previous games between Russian and Greek sides in UEFA club competition have produced 12 wins for the Russian side, six draws and four Greek successes. The Russian teams' home record reads W7 D3 L1.

Match background
• CSKA have won all four of their European home games this season by margins of at least two goals, scoring 15 in the process – an average of almost four a game – and conceding just two.

• PAOK have lost only one of their last seven European away games, going down 1-0 at Villarreal CF in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage, winning two and drawing four. They have not conceded more than once in an away fixture in nine games since a 2-2 draw at FC Metalurh Donetsk in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup first round.

• CSKA's seven-game winning streak in Europe ended with a 1-1 draw at AC Sparta Praha in their last UEFA Europa League group stage game.

• Before the first leg of this tie, PAOK were unbeaten in their last six home games, scoring once in each of their last four UEFA Europa League ties at the Toumba Stadium – three 1-0 wins and a 1-1 draw.

Team facts
• FC Porto's Falcao remains the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League's top scorer with seven goals since the start of the group stage, with CSKA's Tomáš Necid his nearest rival on six goals following his strike in the first leg.

• PFC CSKA Moskva and FC Zenit St Petersburg are the highest scoring sides in the competition this season with 19 goals each.

• PAOK, by contrast, were the lowest scoring side to make it through the UEFA Europa League group stage, finding the net just five times.

• PAOK midfielder Zuela knows about Russian football, having played for FC Kuban Krasnodar and FC Alania Vladikavkaz before moving to Salonika in the summer.

• PAOK's on-loan Nabir El Zhar and CSKA's Mark González were team-mates at Liverpool FC in 2006/07.

• The overall winners will take on the victors in the tie between Sevilla FC and Porto in the round of 16 on 10 and 17 March, playing the first leg at home.