UEFA Europa League round of 16 facts and links
Friday, February 27, 2015
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The round of 16 will mean a return to AS Roma for ACF Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella and two of his midfielders, plus another all-Spanish tie for Sevilla FC.
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Everton FC (ENG) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
• Everton drew 1-1 at home to FC Metalist Kharkiv before winning the return leg 3-2 in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round.
• Dynamo's record in 22 games against English clubs is: W4 D7 L11 (W0 D2 L9 in England).
• Everton's Romelu Lukaku is the top scorer among the 16 sides left in the UEFA Europa League with six goals since the start of the group stage.
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) v AFC Ajax (NED)
• Dnipro have a good record against Dutch teams in UEFA competition: W4 D1 L1.
• Ajax overcame Dynamo Kyiv 3-2 on aggregate in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League play-offs in their only previous European encounter with Ukrainian opponents.
• Of the sides left in the competition, Dnipro have committed the most fouls this season: 142 in total. They are also the most-fouled team, with 137 infringements against them.
FC Zenit (RUS) v Torino FC (ITA)
• Torino striker Maxi López netted nine goals in 22 Russian Premier-Liga outings for FK Moskva in the 2007 and 2008 campaigns.
• Torino lost 2-1 on aggregate to FC Dinamo Moskva in their sole previous meeting with Russian opposition, in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup second round.
• Zenit succumbed 2-1 overall to Udinese Calcio in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16.
VfL Wolfsburg (GER) v FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)
• Wolfsburg have yet to win in three matches against Serie A representatives (D1 L2); Inter's record versus German sides is W16 D8 L11.
• Wolfsburg are the least experienced club in the round of 16, with just 58 European games to their name. Inter have the most impressive pedigree with 387 European matches.
• Along with Juventus, Liverpool FC and Sevilla FC, Inter are one of four teams to have won this competition three times, their last success coming in 1998.
Villarreal CF (ESP) v Sevilla FC (ESP)
• Villarreal's Marcelino coached Sevilla in 2011 and 2012, losing his job after a 2-1 defeat by his current employers.
• Sevilla scored twice in the last three minutes as they came from behind to beat Villarreal 2-1 earlier this term.
• The last two seasons in which Sevilla faced Spanish rivals in two-legged UEFA Europa League ties (v CA Osasuna in 2006/07 and v Real Betis Balompié and v Valencia CF in 2013/14), they went on to lift the trophy.
SSC Napoli (ITA) v FC Dinamo Moskva (RUS)
• Dinamo coach Stanislav Cherchesov took on Napoli as a goalkeeper with FC Spartak Moskva in a 1990/91 European Cup round of 16 tie; both legs ended 0-0, with Spartak edging it 5-3 on penalties.
• Napoli will hope their coach is a lucky charm – Rafael Benítez could equal Giovanni Trapattoni in becoming just the second coach to win the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League for a third time, having done so with Valencia (2003/04) and Chelsea FC (2012/13).
• Of the sides that started in the group stage, only three remain unbeaten: Dinamo (W7 D1), Club Brugge KV (W5 D3) and Inter (W4 D4).
Club Brugge KV (BEL) v Beşiktaş JK (TUR)
• Beşiktaş triumphed 2-1 in Istanbul when the clubs locked horns in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage.
• Right-back Serdar Kurtuluş is the sole player in the current Beşiktaş squad who figured in the above victory.
• Of the round of 16 contenders who began their campaigns in the group phase, Club Brugge and Napoli have the best defensive records with a mere three goals conceded in eight outings.
ACF Fiorentina (ITA) v AS Roma (ITA)
• Fiorentina trainer Vincenzo Montella was on Roma's books for a decade until 2009, scoring 94 goals in 215 games and landing the 2000/01 Scudetto. He launched his coaching career with the Giallorossi too, on an interim basis in 2011.
• Roma took four points from their two league fixtures with the Viola this term, winning 2-0 on 30 August and drawing 1-1 in Florence on 25 January. Fiorentina gained some revenge in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, prevailing 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on 3 February.
• Montella aside, Fiorentina have Giallorossi connections in Rome-born Alberto Aquilani and fellow midfielder David Pizarro. Adem Ljajić left Fiorentina for Roma after three and a half seasons in August 2013.