Dnipro v Lazio background
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Article summary
Beaten by Sevilla in last season's final, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk return to action in Group G, looking to maintain a five-game home winning streak as they welcome Lazio.
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Last season's beaten UEFA Europa League finalists FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk return to action in Group G looking to maintain a five-game home winning streak as they welcome SS Lazio.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
• Dnipro's record against Italian sides is W2 D2 L6 (W2 D1 L2 at home – W0 D1 L4 in Italy). Their most recent memories of Serie A opposition are positive ones; they beat SSC Napoli to reach last season's UEFA Europa League final.
• Lazio's record against Ukrainian sides is W7 D0 L1 (W4 D0 L0 at home – W3 D0 L1 in Ukraine). They have won their last seven games against Ukrainian opponents since a 1-0 loss at FC Chornomorets Odesa in September 1975.
Form guide
• Dnipro have won their last five European home games without conceding.
• Dnipro have made it through four of their previous five UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, including successes in the last three editions.
• Lazio have successfully navigated their way through their last three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, having missed out on the round of 32 in their first two attempts: in 2004/05 and 2009/10.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Rome to Dnipropetrovsk is around 1,900km.
• Lazio have played exactly 100 UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa Leagues coming into this game, and have won exactly half of them.
• With 30 goals, Lazio's Miroslav Klose is the seventh-highest scoring German player in UEFA club competition history.
The coaches
• Dnipro coach Myron Markevych led his side to the UEFA Europa League final in his first season in charge. The one-time midfielder enjoyed success at home and in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League in charge of an exciting FC Metalist Kharkiv side. He was briefly Ukraine boss in 2010.
• Markevich's eight games against Serie A sides with his various previous clubs ended W4 D2 L2.
• A central defender, with Juventus and ACF Fiorentina among others, Stefano Pioli took charge of Lazio in 2014. He has been a coach in Italy's top two divisions since 2003, his clubs including hometown side Parma FC, AC Chievo Verona and most recently Bologna FC.
