Pandurii and Paços sign off

CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu can lever FC Paços de Ferreira out of third place in UEFA Europa League Group E as they bring the curtain down on their maiden European campaign.

• Both sides are already out of the running for a round of 32 berth.

Previous meetings
• The sides drew 1-1 on matchday two in what was Paços' first encounter with Romanian opposition. Marko Momčilović gave Pandurii an early lead, but Rui Miguel responded with a fine finish after the interval.

• Pandurii recorded a notable coup against Portuguese opponents earlier this season, eliminating 2010/11 UEFA Europa League finalists SC Braga in the play-offs, winning 2-0 in Portugal to make up for a 1-0 home defeat in the first leg, staged in Cluj-Napoca.

Match background
• European debutants Pandurii have not won in their last four European home games (D1 L3) since a 4-0 victory against FC Levadia Tallinn in this season's second qualifying round – the second leg of their first ever European tie.

• This is only Paços' third season in European football. They have won only once in 13 continental encounters – 1-0 against FC Zimbru Chisinau in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round – and are currently in the midst of a nine-game barren spell (D2 L7).

• Paços' 4-2 loss to FC Zenit in their UEFA Champions League play-off second leg remains the only European game in which they have scored more than once; they have registered just five times in their 13 European fixtures to date.

Team facts
• Of the four group stage contenders making their European debuts this season, Pandurii and Estoril Praia (POR) are already out of the running for a round of 32 place, and Wigan Athletic FC (ENG) and FC Kuban Krasnodar (RUS) are perilously close to a matchday six exit too.

• Pandurii boast Portuguese talent in the form of midfielder Paulinho and goalkeeper Pedro Mingote, both of whom have spent much of the last five years in Romania.

• Paços defender Tony, midfielder André Leão and forward Manuel José are all well acquainted with Romanian football: the trio all spent three years in Romania at CFR 1907 Cluj, during the period in which the club won the 2007/08 and 2009/10 league titles, and successive Romanian Cup finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010, although Manuel José left for Paços in 2009.

Coach information
• A prolific striker with CS Gaz Metan Mediaş and FC Unirea Alba Iulia, Pandurii coach Cristian Pustai never got to play in Romania's top division but made up for that as a coach. He won promotion to Liga I with Gaz Metan, then took his old side into Europe for the first time, reaching the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League play-offs. Hired by Pandurii in January 2013, he helped the club secure a best ever finish of second in the league last season.

• Sérgio Gaminho had been listed as Paços coach for their European games, but Costinha was picking the team until the latter, a former FC Porto midfielder, resigned on 28 October after a 3-1 home defeat by fellow UEFA Europa League contenders Vitória SC left his side bottom of the Portuguese Liga.

• Henrique Calisto has since come in for his fourth spell as Paços coach, having previously been in charge from 1996–97, 1998–2000 and 2011–12. Once a right-back, he moved into coaching in his 20s, initially at Boavista FC in 1980, and has since coached a host of Portuguese outfits. From 2001–11, he was in Asia, holding the reins at clubs in Vietnam and Thailand, as well as the Vietnamese national team.