Bordeaux eye breakthrough against APOEL

FC Girondins de Bordeaux will look to get some points on the board in a battle of the UEFA Europa League Group F back markers, with APOEL FC seeking a Cypriot first in France.

Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition and this is Bordeaux's maiden encounter with Cypriot opponents.

• APOEL have played four games against French clubs, with their record reading W1 D0 L3 (W1 D0 L1 at home – W0 D0 L2 in France). They have yet to score a goal in France but have nothing but positive memories of their last encounter with a French club. APOEL beat Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 in normal time and then 4-3 on penalties to win a 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, having lost the first leg 1-0.

• As yet, no Cypriot club has avoided defeat in five UEFA club competition games in France.

Match background
• Bordeaux lost 2-1 at home against Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC on matchday two, a defeat which ended their 100% home record in group stage home games in this competition. It was their second Group F defeat in succession and their second consecutive European home defeat. Prior to a 3-2 loss to SL Benfica in last season's round of 16, they had been unbeaten in 13 continental home fixtures (W10 D3).

• After getting through the group stage, Bordeaux reached last season's UEFA Europa League round of 16. They also made it through this group stage at the first attempt in 2007/08.

• 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.

• 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. They have not won in eight European games (D5 L3).

Team facts
• APOEL midfielder Selim Benachour started his career with hometown club Paris Saint-Germain FC and also played for FC Martigues and ES Troyes AC on loan before leaving France.

• APOEL's Guinean forward Esmaël Gonçalves – aka Isma – also started his career in France with OGC Nice, where he and Bordeaux's David Bellion were briefly team-mates during a loan spell for the latter in spring 2011.

• APOEL are one of five sides yet to score in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage along with FC Anji Makhachkala, Legia Warszawa, FC Kuban Krasnodar and SV Zulte Waregem. Their 3-0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt matched their worst margin of defeat in a UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League home game.

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

Coach information
• Francis Gillot led Bordeaux to the UEFA Europa League round of 16 and their fourth French Cup in 2012/13, his second season in charge since joining from FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. A solid defender for RC Lens and RC Strasbourg, he started his coaching career with Lens where his frankness, faith in young players and attacking style proved popular, and he was then in charge of Sochaux from 2008 to 2011.

• APOEL parted company with Portuguese coach Paulo Sérgio the day after their matchday two loss to Eintracht. The former Heart of Midlothian FC and CFR 1907 Cluj boss had arrived this summer following the departure of Ivan Jovanović but oversaw just three victories in 11 games, including a 1-0 win against Apollon Limassol FC in the Cypriot Super Cup, and was replaced by Giorgos Donis on 11 October.

• Born in Germany, Donis played as a winger for the likes of Panathinaikos FC, Blackburn Rovers FC and AEK Athens FC, and won 24 caps for Greece, before turning his hand to coaching at Ilisiakos FC. He then led Larissa FC to the top flight in 2005 and Greek Cup glory the following year, before stints with AEK, Atromitos FC and PAOK FC.