Valencia seek Dynamo knockout blow

The picture looks pretty rosy for Valencia CF as they come into their fourth encounter with FC Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 up from the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie.

• The first leg was played at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, due to the security situation in the Ukrainian capital. Eduardo Vargas (79) and Sofiane Feghouli (90+1) beat substitute goalkeeper Olexandr Rybka in the closing stages.

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 second leg in Spain.

• The sides for that decisive meeting in Valencia on 26 February 2009 were:
Valencia: César Sánchez, Alexis, Albiol, Marchena (Baraja 81), Del Horno, David Silva, Manuel Fernandes, Maduro, Mata (Vicente 68), Villa, Morientes (Joaquín 59).
Dynamo: Bogush, Nesmachniy, Betão, Mikhalik, El Kaddouri, Aliyev, Eremenko, Vukojević*, Kravchenko (Cernat 65), Corrêa (Ghioane 78, Sablić 88), Kravets.

*still registered with the club

Match background
• Valencia are yet to lose to Ukrainian opponents over 90 minutes, with their record in five UEFA competition meetings: W2 D3 L0 (W1 D1 L0 at home – W1 D2 L0 as the away team).

• Dynamo's record in 26 encounters with Spanish opponents is W5 D9 L12 (W3 D5 L5 as the home side – W1 D4 L7 in Spain). They also 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 13 games against Spanish sides (D6 L7), since a 2-0 triumph over Real Madrid CF in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Their only win in Spain was in the group stage of the same competition the previous season, beating FC Barcelona 4-0 on 5 November 1997.

• Valencia have won just one of their last five European home games (W1 D2 L2) – 5-1 against FC St Gallen in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage. However, they are unbeaten in six European fixtures (W5 D1) since a 3-0 home loss to Swansea City AFC in September.

• Valencia reached the semi-finals in their most recent UEFA Europa League campaign, losing to eventual winners Atlético in 2011/12.

• Dynamo reached 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.

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 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).

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

Coach information
• 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.

• 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.

Shoot-out record
• Valencia's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:
lost 4-3 (away) v FC Steaua Bucureşti, 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32
lost 5-4 (neutral) v FC Bayern München, 2000/01 UEFA Champions League final
won 5-4 (away) v Celtic FC, 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round
won 5-4 (neutral) v Arsenal FC, 1979/80 European Cup Winners' Cup final

• Dynamo won their only previous UEFA penalty shoot-out:
won 3-1 (away) v AC Sparta Praha, 1998/99 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round

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.

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

• 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.