Vaslui to test Sporting resolve

FC Vaslui will look to avenge a 2-0 defeat by Sporting Clube de Portugal as the sides reconvene in UEFA Europa League Group D, with the Lisbon team already sure of a round of 32 place.

Previous meetings
• The clubs met for the first time in UEFA competition on matchday three, in what was Vaslui's first competitive meeting with a Portuguese side.

• Evaldo (43) and Matías Fernández (70) scored for Sporting, who became the first side ever to qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockout phase after just three games.

• Sporting's five previous games against Romanian sides ended W3 D0 L2 (W0 D0 L2 in Romania). They have lost both their previous matches in Romania 2-0.

Match background
• Sporting are unbeaten in seven European games – four wins and three draws. Their last defeat came in a UEFA Europa League group stage match at PFC Levski Sofia on 16 December 2010, where they went down 1-0.

• Vaslui have yet to lose a European home game, with their nine efforts to date producing five wins and four draws.

• Vaslui's European home base in Piatra Neamt is a little over 100km from their home town.

• Prior to matchday one's 2-0 victory at FC Zürich, Sporting had been without a win in four UEFA away games (two defeats followed by two draws) since a 2-1 victory at LOSC Lille Métropole in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Team facts
• Sporting are one of three clubs with 100% records after matchday three – along with PSV Eindhoven and RSC Anderlecht.

• All four of Vaslui's group stage goals this season have come in the second half.

• RSC Anderlecht's Matías Suárez is the group stage's top scorer with five goals. Vaslui's Wesley, SC Braga's Hélder Barbosa, FC Lokomotiv Moskva's Dmitri Sychev and Fulham FC's Andrew Johnson are his closest rivals with three each.

• Sporting's Under-17 international goalkeeper Rafael Veloso turns 18 on the day of the game. He has yet to make his European debut for the club.

• Vaslui's Brazilian central defender Gladstone played at Sporting on loan from Cruzeiro EC in the 2007/08 season, scoring once in 13 league appearances. Rui Patrício, Anderson Polga, Bruno Pereirinha and Marat Izmailov were all team-mates of his.

• Sporting defender Daniel Carriço was a team-mate of Vaslui left-back Hugo Luz while on loan at SC Olhanense in 2007/08.

• Vaslui's Brazilian midfielder Wesley played in Portugal for FC Penafiel, Vitória SC, FC Paços de Ferreira and Leixões SC, with whom he won a Liga game 1-0 at the José Alvalade.

• Vaslui defender Silviu Bălace faced Sporting's local rivals SL Benfica in 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 32 with FC Dinamo Bucureşti in his first two UEFA competition games; Dinamo lost 1-0 in Lisbon and 2-1 at home.

• Sporting coach Domingos Paciência made his name in Europe last season by leading SC Braga to the UEFA Europa League final, where they lost 1-0 against FC Porto in Dublin.

• As a striker for Porto, Paciência played in four UEFA games against Romanian sides, winning three and drawing one. He scored in the last of them – a 4-0 European Champion Clubs' Cup home victory against Dinamo Bucureşti – on 7 November 1990.

• Vaslui's Serbian midfielder Miloš Pavlović played under Paciência at A. Academica de Coimbra from 2007 to 2009. During that time he featured in three games against Sporting; a 1-0 defeat and two draws, scoring in one of them.

• Vaslui coach Viorel Hizo twice took both FC Rapid Bucureşti and FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamţ into Europe. Now 64, he has coached Vaslui (2006-07, 2008 and 2010-present) and Ceahlăul three times (1998-2000, 2003-04 and 2007-08), and has been Rapid coach in five separate spells (1993-95, 1995-96, 2001-02, 2004 and 2009).