Rapid play host to away-day specialists PSV
Friday, September 16, 2011
Article summary
PSV Eindhoven go in search of their fifth consecutive victory on the road in Europe against an FC Rapid Bucureşti side who are unbeaten in 16 continental home games.
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FC Rapid Bucureşti will look to extend their unbeaten European home run into a tenth year as PSV Eindhoven come to Bucharest in UEFA Europa League Group C.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
• Rapid's record in four games against Dutch sides reads W1 D2 L1 (W1 D0 L1 in Romania). Current boss Răzvan Lucescu oversaw Rapid's only success against Dutch opposition in his first spell as the club's coach; his side eliminated Feyenoord in the first round of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup en route to the quarter-finals.
• Goalkeeper Dănuţ Coman and the midfielder Nicolae Grigore also featured in that squad.
• PSV's record in six games against Romanian sides reads W5 D0 L1 (W2 D0 L1 in Romania). They have not played in Bucharest since a 1-0 European Champion Clubs' Cup loss at FC Steaua Bucureşti on 18 October 1989. They won 3-0 against the same opponents on their first visit, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup game on 4 November 1970.
Match background
• Rapid are unbeaten in 16 European home games (ten wins and six draws) since a 1-0 defeat by PSV's Dutch league rivals Vitesse in the UEFA Cup first round on 3 October 2002. Should they avoid defeat against PSV, that unbeaten home run will extend over nine years.
• Rapid's last five home games in Europe have ended in draws.
• PSV have lost only one of their last seven European away fixtures, 4-1 at SL Benfica in last season's UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
• PSV have yet to be beaten in a UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League group stage game with a record of W9 D4 L0 (W4 D2 L0 away from home, where they are now on a run of four straight wins)
• Rapid are unbeaten in their last five group stage games – four draws and one win.
Team facts
• Rapid boss Razvăn Lucescu played in goal for a number of Romanian clubs, including Rapid, and briefly played in Italy for Crema Calcio in 1992/93, while his father Mircea was coaching Serie A side Brescia Calcio. In a previous spell as Rapid coach, he won two Romanian Cups and led them to the quarter-finals of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup and into the group stage once more the following season. He then coached Romania from 2009 to 2011.
• PSV have had two notable former Romanian internationals in their ranks: defender Gheorghe Popescu (1990-94) and midfielder Ovidiu Stângă (1996-2001).
• PSV boss Fred Rutten spent his entire career as a defender with FC Twente, moving on to the club's coaching staff, and taking charge from 1999 to 2001. He was then Guus Hiddink's assistant at PSV before a second spell at Twente and a season as FC Schalke 04 boss. He took charge at PSV in 2009.