Benfica out to put paid to PAOK

Runners-up last season, SL Benfica look well placed to take a step towards the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League final as they take on PAOK FC in Lisbon, leading 1-0 from the first leg.

Previous meetings
• A predatory finish from Brazilian striker Lima just before the hour mark was the difference between the sides in the first leg, their third European encounter.

• Their previous meetings were also tight. Jupp Heynckes's Benfica and Arie Haan's PAOK both lost 2-1 at home in their 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round meeting before Benfica won the tie 4-1 on penalties in Lisbon.

• The teams for their last encounter in Lisbon on 4 November 1999 were:
Benfica: Enke, Paulo Madeira, Poborský (Chano 72), João Pinto, Ronaldo Guiaro, Kandaurov, Basto (Maniche 62), Nuno Gomes, José Calado, Ricardo Rojas, Luís Andrade (El Khalej 83).
PAOK: Čović, Bandović, Venetidis, Dollberg, Machiaridis, Marangos, Vryzas (Karadimos 74), Nagbe, Valencia (Froussos 90), Kafes, Sabry (Konstantinidis 79).

• PAOK's Huub Stevens was coach of the Roda JC team that lost to Benfica in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup second round: his charges went down 1-0 in Lisbon and drew the return 2-2, conceding two late Hassan Nader goals.

Match background
• PAOK's overall record in five games against Portuguese clubs is: W2 D0 L3 (W1 D0 L2 in Greece – W1 D0 L1 in Portugal).

• Benfica's 14 matches against Greek sides have ended: W7 D1 L6 (W4 D1 L1 at home – W3 D0 L5 in Greece).

• After entering the round of 32 from the UEFA Champions League group stage, Benfica are on target to reach the final for the second successive season. They lost 2-1 to Chelsea FC in the 2013 decider in Amsterdam.

• Benfica are unbeaten in their last nine European games in Lisbon (W8 D1) since a 2-0 loss to FC Barcelona on matchday two of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• PAOK made it through the group stage unbeaten (W3 D3) having replaced FC Metalist Kharkiv in the UEFA Champions League play-offs after the Ukrainian side, who beat PAOK in the third qualifying round, were excluded from Europe. PAOK then lost 4-3 on aggregate to FC Schalke 04, but moved into the UEFA Europa League.

• PAOK extended their UEFA Europa League record sequence of away matches (excluding qualifying) without defeat to nine (W4 D5) with their 2-0 win at FC Shakhter Karagandy on matchday five.

• PAOK have not kept a clean sheet in 11 European home games (W5 D2 L4) since a 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Team facts
• PAOK midfielder Kostas Katsouranis played for Benfica from 2006–09. He captained the side at times and was named Benfica player of the year in 2009, when he won the Portuguese League Cup – his only trophy with the Eagles.

• Miguel Vítor started his career at Benfica, coming through the youth ranks and making 24 league appearances for the club before heading to PAOK in 2013.

• Benfica's Eduardo Salvio can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance on matchday eight.

• Benfica's Serbian defender Ljubomir Fejsa has Greek experience, having represented Olympiacos FC from 2011–13, winning two domestic doubles.

• PAOK left-back Lino played in Portugal with A. Académica de Coimbra and FC Porto before moving to Greece in 2009.

• With 67 UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League appearances (including qualifying), PAOK's Dimitris Salpingidis is level with Walid Badier in fourth in the competitions' all-time appearances standings. Walter Zenga is third in the standings with 69 games.

Coach information
• Benfica coach Jorge Jesus followed in his father Jesus Virgolino's footsteps by signing for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a youngster and was a journeyman midfielder before moving into coaching. He took charge of a number of Portuguese clubs and was given the Benfica job in June 2009 after leading SC Braga to the last 16 of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. He guided the Eagles to the title in his first campaign and to the final of last season's UEFA Europa League.

• PAOK coach since June 2013, Stevens won the UEFA Cup as a player with PSV Eindhoven in 1977/78 and as FC Schalke 04 coach in 1996/97. A defender, he spent his best years as a player with PSV, who he later coached. Schalke fans named him as their coach of the century in 1999, and he was also in charge at 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV and FC Salzburg before a second, less successful stint with Schalke in 2011.

• Juventus's Antonio Conte (Juventus 1993) and AFC Ajax's Frank de Boer (Ajax 1992) also won the UEFA Cup as players.

Shoot-out record
• Benfica's record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L1:
won 4-1 (home) v PAOK, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round
lost 6-5 (neutral) v PSV Eindhoven, 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup final

• PAOK have lost all four of their UEFA penalty shoot-outs:
lost 4-1 (away) v Benfica, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round
lost 4-3 (home) v Sevilla FC, 1991/92 UEFA Cup first round
lost 9-8 (away) v FC Bayern München, 1983/84 UEFA Cup second round
lost 5-4 (home) v Eintracht Frankfurt, 1981/82 European Cup Winners' Cup first round

Round of 16
• The winners of this tie will take on FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk or Tottenham Hotspur FC in the round of 16, playing the second leg at home.

• Benfica beat Dnipro 4-0 on aggregate in the last eight en route to losing the 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup final. They overcame Spurs 4-3 on aggregate in the sides' only previous meeting, in the 1961/62 European Cup semi-finals, with Benfica going on to win the competition, defeating Real Madrid CF 5-3 in the showpiece in Amsterdam.

• PAOK have never met Dnipro, but drew 0-0 at home and won 2-1 away against Spurs in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage.