Legia and Hapoel aim for first Group C points
Friday, September 16, 2011
Article summary
Having both suffered narrow opening-day defeats, Legia Warszawa and Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC will look to get their first Group C points on the board when they meet in Poland.
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Article body
Legia Warszawa and Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC will look to get their first points on the board in Group C after single-goal defeats on UEFA Europa League matchday one.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition, and neither club have met teams from their opponents' home nations in competitive games before.
•Only four games have been played between Polish and Israeli clubs in UEFA competition with the Polish side winning three and losing one. The home side did not concede in the two games on Polish soil, scoring eight goals in the course of those games.
Match background
• Legia have lost only one of their last seven European home games, and are unbeaten in their last four matches at home. However, that run of results featured just one win, with their last three continental ties in the Polish capital ending in draws.
• Hapoel have not won in five European away games (a draw and four defeats) since a 3-2 triumph at FC Salzburg in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League play-offs.
Team facts
• Legia coach Maciej Skorża had abandoned his playing career as a defender by his early 20s, but became a successful coach with KS Amica Wronki, Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski and Wisła Kraków, where he won two Polish league titles.
• Skorża's Wisła took on Beitar Jerusalem FC in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round; they lost 2-1 in Jerusalem but prevailed 5-0 at home.
• Hapoel coach Dror Kashtan – who turns 67 on 1 October – is one of the most respected figures in Israeli football. The former defensive midfielder coached Israel from 2006 to 2010 and took Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC into Europe, as well as Hapoel, whom he has led in three previous spells.
• Legia boast Israeli talent in the form of midfielder Moshe Ohayon, who played for FC Ashdod and Beitar Jerusalem in Israel. He won his first caps for Israel under Kashtan.
• Ohayon played 12 games against Hapoel with Ashdod with the record W3 D4 L5 (W2 D3 L1 at home). During those games he scored two penalties.
