Groningen v Liberec background
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Article summary
Groningen earned a draw with a last-gasp goal in Liberec on matchday three, but need more points from the return fixture if they are to keep their Group F hopes alive.
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FC Groningen's maiden UEFA Europa League group stage campaign will be over as a contest if they lose to FC Slovan Liberec.
Previous meetings
• The teams drew 1-1 when they met for the first time in UEFA competition on matchday three, Groningen's Danny Hoesen scoring on the rebound from a penalty for the ten-man visitors, who had trailed to Dutchman Kevin Luckassen's 87th-minute goal.
• Groningen's only previous fixture against Czech opponents was a 2-1 win at FC Zbrojovka Brno in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage.
• Liberec's eight games against Dutch clubs have ended W1 D6 L1 (W0 D4 L0 in the Netherlands).
Form guide
• If Groningen lose, they will not be able to finish higher than third in Group F.
• Groningen are without a win in seven European matches (D4 L3), a run dating back to a 1-0 victory over FK Partizan in a September 2006 UEFA Cup first round tie.
• Liberec have won all three of their European away games this season without conceding.
• Groningen are featuring in the group stage of a major UEFA competition for the first time. They are set to equal their longest European campaign with their six Group F games, having also played six matches by reaching the third round of the 1988/89 UEFA Cup.
• This is Liberec's third appearance in this group stage – they fell short in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup but advanced to the round of 32 in 2013/14.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Liberec to Groningen is around 650km.
• Liberec central defender Ondřej Švejdík played for Groningen from 2006–10. He made his UEFA club competition debut with the Eredivisie outfit, but injuries – including a broken arm – limited his game time.
• Liberec boast Dutch talent in the form of erstwhile AZ Alkmaar striker Luckassen.
The coaches
• Previously assistant coach, Erwin van de Looi assumed sole command at Groningen in 2013. They qualified for Europe in his first season and last time out won their first Dutch Cup. A former Dutch Under-21 international, he played UEFA Cup football with Vitesse, ending his injury-ravaged playing days at Groningen in 2002.
• Jindřich Trpišovský took charge at Slovan in June. It was a first major top-flight appointment for the coach, who models himself on Liverpool FC boss Jürgen Klopp. Once a youth coach at AC Sparta Praha, he previously led second-division FK Viktoria Žižkov, impressing despite the club's financial problems.