Maccabi Tel-Aviv await APOEL rematch

Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC fans will remember their last meeting with APOEL FC with some disappointment as the sides, both under Portuguese stewardship, gear up for a rematch in UEFA Europa League Group F.

Previous meetings
• In what were their only previous fixtures against sides from their opponents' nations, the clubs came together in the second qualifying round of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup. Marios Konstantinou's APOEL prevailed over Nir Klinger's side following a 1-0 win at home and a 2-2 draw after extra time in Tel Aviv.

• The teams for that Tel Aviv encounter on 25 August 2005 were:
Maccabi: Strauber, Yehiel, Nimni, Berkovic (Shpungin 97), Rosso, L Cohen, Gonzales, Eliav, T Cohen (Blesing 84), Abo Siam, Dayan (Mesika 76).
APOEL: Morfis, Jovanović (Georgiou 53), Okkarides, Nasiopoulos (Alexandrou 70), Ricardo Fernandes, Daskalakis, Ilia, Makridis, Michail, Kenedy, Neophytou (Jamroz 102).

• Winger turned left-back Nektarios Alexandrou is the only player registered to play in this season's group stage who appeared in that game, coming on as a late substitute in both legs.

Match background
• Maccabi are appearing in the group stage for the second time having missed the cut without winning a game in the 2011/12 competition, collecting only two points from their six matches.

• The Tel Aviv side have won only one of their last five home European games, drawing two and losing two. Before that they were on a six-game run of victories.

• APOEL were reinstated into the UEFA Europa League after being drawn to replace Fenerbahçe SK following the Turkish club's exclusion from the 2013/14 UEFA competitions.

• APOEL have featured in the UEFA Champions League group stage twice, famously making it to the quarter-finals in 2011/12, but this is their first participation in the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The Cypriot club are unbeaten in five games on their travels in Europe (W2 D3) since a 5-2 defeat at Real Madrid CF ended that UEFA Champions League adventure two seasons ago.

Team facts
• Maccabi are the most southerly side in this season's competition, with Tromsø IL pushing the competition's northern frontier inside the Arctic Circle – 4,299km separate the two clubs.

• Maccabi and APOEL are among nine domestic champions in this season's group stage along with NK Maribor (Slovenia), FC Sheriff (Moldova), PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria), Legia Warszawa (Poland), FC Shakhter Karagandy (Kazakhstan), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and IF Elfsborg (Sweden).

• Maccabi drew 3-3 against the Cyprus national team in Tel Aviv on 23 July 1949 in what was the visitors' first game after being admitted to FIFA in 1948.

• Maccabi's Tal Ben Haim and APOEL's Hélder Cabral faced each other in 2012/13 UEFA Europa League Group B last season when the former's Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC drew 1-1 with A. Académica de Coimbra.

• Maccabi's general manager Jordi Cruyff worked in a similar capacity for AEK Larnaca FC between 2010 and 2012. During that time, AEL became the first Cypriot side to make it to the UEFA Europa League group stage, in 2011/12.

Coach information
• Maccabi Tel-Aviv's Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa famously won back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles with different clubs – Juventus (1995/96) and Borussia Dortmund (1996/97). The defensive midfielder also reached the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2000 with Portugal. He coached a series of English league clubs before leading Videoton FC in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, and was hired as Maccabi coach in June 2013.

• APOEL coach since May 2013, Paulo Sérgio is on his third consecutive foreign posting in as many seasons having led Heart of Midlothian FC to the Scottish Cup in 2011/12 and CFR 1907 Cluj to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 last season. A forward who spent most of his career outside the Portuguese top flight, he worked his way up to the Liga as a coach, and led Sporting Clube de Portugal through the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, eventually losing in the round of 32.