Atlético move in for Lazio kill

Club Atlético de Madrid coach Diego Simeone will look to eliminate his old side in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, with S.S. Lazio needing to overturn a 3-1 deficit to set up a meeting with SC Braga or Beşiktaş JK.

• Miroslav Klose (19) put Lazio ahead in Rome, but Adrián López (25) replied before Falcao (37 & 63) won the game. Falcao set a competition record with 17 goals in last season's UEFA Europa League for FC Porto; he is now up to third in this term's top scorers' standings, with five goals.

Previous meetings
• Sven-Göran Eriksson's Lazio eliminated Radomir Antić's Atlético to reach the 1997/98 UEFA Cup final in the teams' only previous meeting, Vladimir Jugović scoring the only goal 33 minutes into the first leg of the semi-final in Madrid.

• The teams for that Madrid meeting on 31 March 1998 were:
Atlético: José Molina, Frascarelli, Denia, Vizcaíno (José Mari 57), Vieri, Pantić (Paunović 86), Lardín (Nimni 72), Aguilera, Caminero, Prodan, Bejbl.
Lazio: Marchegiani, Negro, Favalli, Chamot, Mancini (Gottardi 77), Fuser, Nedvěd, Boksić (Casiraghi 66), Grandoni, Jugović, Venturin.

Match background
• Atlético's record in 18 games against Italian sides reads W9 D2 L7 (W4 D0 L3 at home).

• The Rojiblancos played ACF Fiorentina in the 1961/62 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, prevailing 3-0 in a Stuttgart replay after the first game in Glasgow ended 1-1.

• Atlético beat FC Internazionale Milano 2-0 in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup in Monaco.

• Lazio's record in 17 games against Spanish sides reads W5 D4 L8 (W1 D0 L6 in Spain).

• The Biancocelesti are playing in the spring phase of a UEFA club competition for the first time since 2002/03, when they lost to FC Porto in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

• Atlético have won their last five European home games, since losing 3-2 to Aris Thessaloniki FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Atlético were last in the round of 32 in 2010; they beat Galatasaray AŞ, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Valencia CF and Liverpool FC to reach the final, which they won 2-1 against Fulham FC in Hamburg.

• Lazio beat RCD Mallorca in the final of the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in Birmingham, England.

• Lazio have not won in their last three European away games, recording a defeat and then two draws.

Team facts
• Simeone replaced Gregorio Manzano as Atlético coach on 23 December. The former Argentina midfielder had two spells at the club as a player, winning a domestic double in 1995/96. He won the 1997/98 UEFA Cup with Inter and is coaching in Europe for a second time, having helped Calcio Catania avoid relegation from Serie A in 2010/11.

• Simeone played for Lazio from 1999 to 2003, winning the 1999 UEFA Super Cup in his first competitive game and a domestic double at the end of that season.

• Atlético's Mario Suárez turns 25 the day after the game.

• Lorik Cana and Arda Turan were team-mates at Galatasaray last season.

• Diego (2009/10) and Tiago Mendes (2007-09) have both played in Italy for Juventus.

• Abdoulay Konko (Sevilla FC 2008-11), Albano Bizzarri (Real Madrid CF 1999/2000, Real Valladolid CF 2000-06, CF Gimnástic de Tarragona 2006/07), Matuzalem (Real Zaragoza 2007/08), Juan Pablo Carrizo (Real Zaragoza 2009/10) and Lionel Scaloni (RC Deportivo La Coruña 1998-06, Real Racing Club 2006/07, RCD Mallorca 2008/09) have all played in Spain.

• Once a midfield colleague of Fabio Capello's at SPAL 1907, Lazio's Edoardo Reja has been coaching since 1979 but did not make his Serie A debut until 1998 and had to wait another decade for his European bow with SSC Napoli.

Round of 16
• The winners of this tie will take on Braga or Beşiktaş in the round of 16 on 8 and 15 March, playing the first leg at home.

• Lazio have never met Braga but took on Beşiktaş in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, winning 1-0 in Rome, then 2-1 in Istanbul. They also met in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage, winning 2-0 away and drawing 1-1 at home.

• Atlético have met neither of their potential opponents in UEFA competition.

Competition statistics
• An updated version of the UEFA Europa League Statistics Handbook is available here:
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=1750416.html