Anderlecht seek same again as AEK return

RSC Anderlecht will look for a repeat performance against AEK Athens FC as their first UEFA Europa League Group L tie sees them meet a side who they beat comfortably in Brussels last season.

Previous meetings 
• Anderlecht and AEK are meeting in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the second season in succession, having also been paired in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group phase.

• Anderlecht's record in four games against AEK is W1 D3 L0 (W1 D1 L0 at home).

• The teams for their most recent meeting in Brussels on 21 October 2010, a 3-0 win for Ariël Jacobs' Anderlecht against Manuel Jiménez's AEK were: Anderlecht: Proto, Mazuch, Deschacht, Biglia, Polak, Kanu (Matías Suárez 66), Boussoufa, Lukaku (Chavarria 79), Kljestan, Juhász, Gillet.
AEK: Saja, Kafes, Makos (Djebbou, 46), Argiriou, Blanco, Lagos, Éder (Leonardo 64), Bouba Diop, Scocco (Burns 22), Dellas, Gentzoglou.

Match background
• Anderlecht have played a further six games against Greek sides, leaving them with the overall record of W3 D5 L2 against Greek opponents (W3 D2 L0 at home).

• AEK have played a total of eight games against Belgian sides, but have yet to win; W0 D6 L2 (W0 D2 L2 in Belgium).

• Anderlecht's record in eight UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage home games in W4 D2 L2.

Team facts
• AEK's Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen celebrates his 33rd birthday on the day of the match. The former Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona forward has yet to play a UEFA game on his birthday.

• Gudjohnsen played for Chelsea in a 2-0 UEFA Champions League win at Anderlecht on 23 November 2005.

• AEK's Nikos Liberopoulos also met Anderlecht in a 2002/03 UEFA Cup fourth round tie; he scored once as his Panathinaikos FC side won 3-0 at home, progressing despite a 2-0 loss in Brussels.

• AEK's Roger Guerreiro and Anderlecht's Marcin Wasilewski are Polish international team-mates.

• Jacobs has been Anderlecht coach since November 2007. Once a striker, he spent most of his career with K. Diegem Sport. He later coached youth teams for the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA-KBVB) and acted as assistant to national team boss Guy Thys before returning to club football with RWD Molenbeek, RAA Louviéroise, KSC Lokeren OV and R. Excelsior Mouscron.

• AEK's coach is Spaniard Jiménez, who was left-back at Sevilla FC for the bulk of his playing career, returning to the club to coach their B-team and, from 2007 to 2010, their senior side. He won the first major trophy of his coaching career, the 2011 Greek Cup, at AEK.