Dynamo and Valencia back for more

FC Dynamo Kyiv have not won in 12 games against Spanish teams as they take on Valencia CF in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, but have had the better of the sides' previous meetings.

• UEFA decided to change the venue for the match to the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, due to the security situation in the Ukrainian capital. The first leg had been scheduled to take place at the NSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium in Kyiv.

Previous meetings
• The clubs met at the same stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup, Yuri Semin's Dynamo ousting Unai Emery's Valencia on away goals following a 1-1 draw in Kyiv and a 2-2 tie in Spain.

• The sides for that first meeting in Kyiv on 18 February 2009 – where Dynamo goalscorer Artem Milevskiy was sent off on 64 minutes – were:
Dynamo: Bogush, Nesmachniy, Betão, Mikhalik, El Kaddouri, Eremenko, Vukojević*, Ghioane (Cernat 46), Kravchenko (Ninković 66), Kravets (Corrêa 90+4), Milevskiy.
Valencia: César Sánchez, Albiol, Marchena, Maduro, Del Horno, Pablo Hernández (Joaquín 70), Albelda, Manuel Fernandes (Baraja 82), David Silva (Villa 67), Mata, Morientes.

*still registered with the club.

Match background
• Dynamo's record in 25 encounters with Spanish opponents is W5 D9 L11 (W3 D5 L4 as the home side – W1 D4 L7 in Spain). In addition, they beat Club Atlético de Madrid 3-0 in Lyon, France, to win the 1985/86 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final.

• Dynamo are without a win in 12 games against Spanish sides (D6 L6) since a 2-0 success against Real Madrid CF in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Their only win in Spain dates back to 5 November 1997 – a 4-0 triumph at FC Barcelona in the 1997/98 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Valencia have yet to lose to Ukrainian opponents over 90 minutes, with their record in four UEFA competition meetings reading: W1 D3 L0 (W1 D1 L0 at home – W0 D2 L0 in Ukraine).

• Dynamo have won three of their four European home fixtures this season, a 1-0 defeat by KRC Genk at the start of the group stage denying them a 100% record.

• Dynamo made it to the quarter-finals of this competition in 2010/11 but bowed out at this stage last time out, losing 2-1 on aggregate to FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

• Valencia are unbeaten in five European games since a 3-0 home loss to Swansea City AFC at the start of this season's group stage. They reached the semi-finals in their most recent UEFA Europa League campaign, bowing out to eventual winners Atlético in 2011/12.

Team facts
• Valencia (2004) are one of four previous UEFA Cup winners to have made it through the group stage along with Tottenham Hotspur FC (1972, 1984), Sevilla FC (2006, 2007) and Eintracht Frankfurt (1980). Five more former winners have now parachuted into the competition from the UEFA Champions League group stage: SSC Napoli (1989), FC Shakhtar Donetsk (2009), AFC Ajax (1992), FC Porto (2003, 2011) and final hosts Juventus (1977, 1990, 1993).

• Dynamo's Andriy Yarmolenko had the most shots on target in the group stage: 13.

• Ukraine and Italy are the most represented countries in the round of 32 with four teams each.

Coach information
• Oleh Blokhin has been coaching the club he graced as a player, Dynamo, since September 2012, stepping down as Ukraine coach for a second time after leading them out as co-hosts at UEFA EURO 2012. The European Footballer Of the Year in 1975, Blokhin won eight Soviet titles and two European Cup Winners' Cups in a glorious spell at Dynamo from 1969 to 1988. He started coaching in Greece, but returned home to help Ukraine reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

• Valencia dismissed Miroslav Djukić in December after six months at the helm.

• Juan Antonio Pizzi is now in charge at Valencia, having returned to Spain – for whom he made 22 international appearances – after establishing himself as a coach in South America. Born in Argentina, the striker played for CD Tenerife and Valencia before winning a title, two Spanish Cups and the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona. Following spells with Porto and Villarreal CF, he hung up his boots in 2002, and briefly played polo.

Round of 16
• The winners of this tie will take on SS Lazio or PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in the round of 16, playing the second leg at home.

• Dynamo lost 2-1 away and 1-0 at home to Lazio in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League first group stage in their only previous encounters; they have never met Ludogorets.

• Valencia eliminated Lazio in the quarter-finals of the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League, winning 5-2 at home and going down 1-0 in Rome. They have never played Ludogorets.