Uefa Europa League
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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2014/15 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS NSK Olimpiyskyi - Kyiv Thursday 12 March 2015 19.00CET (20.00 local time) FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Round of 16, First leg AFC Ajax Last updated 02/06/2015 09:37CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 5 Squad list 7 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 13 Match officials 16 Legend 18 1 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AFC Ajax Thursday 12 March 2015 - 19.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Wijnaldum 18; PSV Eindhoven - FC Dnipro 22/11/2012 GS 1-2 Eindhoven Seleznyov 24, Dnipropetrovsk Konoplyanka 74 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - Matheus 50, 20/09/2012 GS 2-0 Dnipropetrovsk PSV Eindhoven Hutchinson 58 (og) UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Matiukhin 65; S. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AZ 20/10/2005 GS 1-2 Dnipropetrovsk Arveladze 13, Alkmaar Sektioui 53 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FC Utrecht - FC Dnipro Douglas 88; Rotan 04/11/2004 GS 1-2 Utrecht Dnipropetrovsk 11, Semochko 83 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - 1-0 06/11/1985 R2 Dnipropetrovsk Litovchenko 47 PSV Eindhoven agg: 3-2 McDonald 54, PSV Eindhoven - FC Dnipro 23/10/1985 R2 2-2 Eindhoven Thoresen 79; Dnipropetrovsk Protasov 17, 67 AFC Ajax - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Suárez 43, El 2-1 25/08/2010 PO AFC Ajax - FC Dynamo Kyiv Amsterdam Hamdaoui 75; agg: 3-2 Shevchenko 84 (P) Gusev 66; 17/08/2010 PO FC Dynamo Kyiv - AFC Ajax 1-1 Kyiv Vertonghen 57 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3 2 0 1 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 1 1 10 6 AFC Ajax 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 3 2 2 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AFC Ajax Thursday 12 March 2015 - 19.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv Match background FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk have exceeded the expectations of many to reach the UEFA Europa League round of 16, and statistics suggest they have reason for confidence as they take on AFC Ajax. What they say Myron Markevych, Dnipro coach: "I've been a fan of Ajax since the days of Johan Cruyff, and I was impressed by the team that won the Champions League [in 1995]. We're up against a legendary club, and I'm really proud. [In the second leg we will play at] one of the most famous stadiums in the world, the Amsterdam ArenA. I hope both teams demonstrate high-class football. Ajax have lots of young players, as do we. Their young players are very strong technically and tactically so it will be a difficult task." Frank de Boer, Ajax coach: "Dnipro are a strong team who are able to surprise us. Their core is Ukrainian players but they also have a few quality foreign footballers. I'd pick out Yevhen Konoplyanka, a leader in the Ukraine national team who's always able to create or score a goal on his own. Dnipro had a few good games in the group stage, we studied them well and know their qualities. A 0-0 draw would be a positive result for us but we'll have to try to score, we want to show good football. [Arkadiusz] Milik has recovered but we still have to see how he trains today. He's our only doubt." Previous meetings • The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition. • Dnipro's home record against Dutch sides is W2 L1; they have yet to lose in the Netherlands (W2 D1 – scoring two goals in each game). • Ajax's only previous encounter with Ukrainian opponents was a 2010/11 UEFA Champions League play-off success against FC Dynamo Kyiv. Form guide • Dnipro have won their last two UEFA Europa League home games, but have been far from prolific in their European home fixtures this season, six games producing just five goals. • Ajax have won their last three European games without conceding. • Dnipro have reached the round of 16 of this competition for the first time. Their biggest European successes were making it to the quarter-finals of the 1984/85 and 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cups. • Ajax have not made it to the round of 16 since 2010/11, when they lost out to FC Spartak Moskva. The last time they reached the quarter-finals of this competition – in 1997/98 – they also bowed out to Spartak. • Dnipro eliminated Olympiacos FC to reach the round of 16; their coach Myron Markevych also overcame Olympiacos with FC Metalist Kharkiv in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 16, but his side lost in the following round to Sporting Clube de Portugal. Trivia and links • Ajax and FC Zenit both got through their first UEFA Europa League ties of the season without conceding, but five of the eight sides who transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage were eliminated in the round of 32. • Of the sides left in the competition, Dnipro have committed the most fouls this season: 142 in total. They are also the most-fouled side, with 137 infringements against them. • Ajax (1992) are among five former UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League winners in the round of 16 along with SSC Napoli (1989), FC Internazionale Milano (1991, 1994, 1998), holders Sevilla FC (2006, 2007, 2014) and Zenit (2008). • Ajax are the only reigning domestic champions in the round of 16. Six others were eliminated in the round of 32: Legia Warszawa (Poland), Aalborg BK (Denmark), FC Salzburg (Austria), Celtic FC (Scotland), Olympiacos FC (Greece) and RSC Anderlecht (Belgium). • Ajax's Arkadiusz Milik is one of six Polish nationals left in the competition who still have the chance of a dramatic homecoming when the UEFA Europa League final takes place in Warsaw on 27 May. • Ajax midfielder Lasse Schöne turns 29 on the day of the UEFA Europa League final. The coaches • Dnipro coach since May 2014, Myron Markevych started out as a midfielder with home-town club FC Karpaty Lviv. While his playing career was not a huge success, he served Karpaty in four spells as a coach before a lengthy stint at FC Metalist Kharkiv earned him a reputation for attacking football. He briefly coached Ukraine in 2010. • Ajax coach since 2010, Frank de Boer claimed five league titles, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League 3 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AFC Ajax Thursday 12 March 2015 - 19.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv as a player with the Amsterdam club, with the defender and his twin brother Ronald then scooping a Spanish championship at Barcelona in 1998/99. He has now steered his old team to four straight Eredivisie crowns. 4 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AFC Ajax Thursday 12 March 2015 - 19.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv Team facts FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Formed: 1918 Nickname: Dnipryani (Dnepr-siders) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • none Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) National title: 2 (1988) Domestic cup: 1 (1989) Ten-year European record (UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2013/14: round of 32 2012/13: round of 32 2011/12: play-offs 2010/11: play-offs 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: second qualifying round 2007/08: first round 2006/07: UEFA Intertoto Cup third round 2005/06: group stage 2004/05: round of 32 Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 6-1: Dnipro v FC Yerevan 23/07/97, UEFA Cup first qualifying round first leg • Biggest away win 0-3: MFK Petržalka v Dnipro 12/08/04, UEFA Cup second qualifying round first leg • Heaviest home defeat 1-4: Dnipro v FC Alania Vladikavkaz 26/08/97, UEFA Cup second qualifying round second leg 0-3: Dnipro v SL Benfica 21/03/90, European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final second leg • Heaviest away defeat 3-0 twice, most recently v Fulham FC 18/08/11, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 6-1: Dnipro v FC Yerevan (see above) • Biggest away win 0-3: MFK Petržalka v Dnipro (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 1-4: Dnipro v FC Alania Vladikavkaz (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 3-0 twice, most recently v Fulham FC (see above) AFC Ajax Formed: 1900 Nickname: Godenzonen (Sons of the Gods) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • European Cup (4): (1969), 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995, (1996) • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1987, (1988) • UEFA Cup (1): 1992 • UEFA Super Cup (2): 1973, (1987), 1995 5 FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - AFC Ajax Thursday 12 March 2015 - 19.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit NSK Olimpiyskyi, Kyiv • European/South American Cup (2): 1972, 1995 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 33 (2014) Dutch Cup: 18 (2010) Ten-year European record (UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2013/14: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2012/13: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2011/12: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2010/11: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2009/10: round of 32 2008/09: round of 16 2007/08: first round (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2006/07: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round) 2005/06: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2004/05: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) Records UEFA club competition