UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2017/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Netanya Municipal Stadium - Netanya Thursday 28 September 2017 21.05CET (22.05 local time) Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC Group A - Matchday 2 Villarreal CF Last updated 27/09/2017 04:49CET

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1 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC - Villarreal CF Thursday 28 September 2017 - 21.05CET (22.05 local time) Match press kit Netanya Municipal Stadium, Netanya

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Maccabi Tel-Aviv lost away on matchday one but will look to get their UEFA Europa League Group A campaign up and running at home against group stage regulars Villarreal. Previous meetings • The sides are meeting for the first time; it is Villarreal's first encounter with Israeli opponents. • In their only previous tie against a Spanish team, Maccabi lost 3-2 away and then drew 1-1 against Tenerife in a 1996/97 UEFA Cup tie. Form guide • Maccabi are unbeaten in six European home games (W4 D2) since losing 4-3 to Zenit in their opening UEFA Europa League group stage home fixture of 2016/17 – a game in which they were 3-0 up with 13 minutes remaining. • Villarreal have not lost in their last four European away contests: W1 D3. They have lost only one of their last ten away games in the UEFA Europa League, the 2015/16 semi-final second leg at Liverpool (0-3). • Maccabi have progressed from the first qualifying round to the UEFA Europa League group stage for a second straight season. They were league and cup runners-up in Israel last term. • Semi-finalists in 2015/16 when they lost out to Liverpool, Villarreal are featuring in a fourth consecutive UEFA Europa League group stage, having progressed safely in each of the last three. • Villarreal hold the UEFA Europa League group stage to final records for most games played (55), most wins (31) and most goals scored (96). Links and trivia • The journey from Villarreal to Tel Aviv is around 3,200km. • Villarreal share with Anderlecht the record of getting through the UEFA Europa League group stage five times. • Maccabi are one of three teams to have come all the way from first qualifying round to group stage this season, along with Crvena zvezda and Skënderbeu. • Former team-mates: Villarreal's Pablo Fornals and Maccabi's Yegor Filipenko (Málaga 2015–16) Villarreal's Andrés Fernández and Maccabi's Jean-Sylvain Babin (Granada 2015–16) • Babin has represented no fewer than four different clubs in Spain (Lucena 2008–10, Alcorcón 2010–14, Granada 2014–16, Gijón 2016–17), while team-mate Omer Atzily was at Granada for the 2016/17 season. The coaches • Jordi Cruyff took over as Maccabi boss in 2017 after five years as the club's . The son of Dutch great , he played for Barcelona and Manchester United and reached the 2001 UEFA Cup final with Alavés. • Villarreal dismissed coach Fran Escribá on Monday, 25 September, in the wake of a 4-0 defeat at Getafe. He had been in charge since 2016, and led the club to a fifth-placed Liga finish last season. • The club's new coach is Javier Calleja, who represented Villarreal as a player from 1999-2006, and returned to El Madrigal after hanging up his boots as a youth coach. He was coaching the club's B-team when he was called up to replace Escriba.

2 Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC - Villarreal CF Thursday 28 September 2017 - 21.05CET (22.05 local time) Match press kit Netanya Municipal Stadium, Netanya Legend Competitions

Club competitions National team competitions UCL: UEFA Champions League EURO: UEFA European Football Championship ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup WC: FIFA World Cup UEL: UEFA Europa League CONFCUP: FIFA Confederations Cup UCUP: UEFA Cup FRIE: Friendly internationals UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup U21FRIE: Under-21 friendly internationals SCUP: UEFA Super Cup U21: UEFA European Under-21 Championship UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup U17: UEFA Under-17 Championship ICF: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup U16: UEFA European Under-16 Championship U19: UEFA Under-19 Championship U18: UEFA European Under-18 Championship WWC: FIFA Women's World Cup WEURO: UEFA European Women's Championship Competition stages Other abbreviations F: Final GS: Group stage (aet): After extra time pens: Penalties GS1: First group stage GS2: Second group stage No.: Number og: Own goal 3QR: Third qualifying round R1: First round ag: Match decided on away P: Penalty R2: Second round R3: Third round goals agg: Aggregate R4: Fourth round PR: Preliminary round Pld: Matches played AP: Appearances SF: Semi-finals QF: Quarter-finals Pos.: Position Comp.: Competition R16: round of 16 QR: Qualifying round Pts: Points D: Drawn R32: Round of 32 1QR: First qualifying round R: Sent off (straight red card) DoB: Date of birth 1st: first leg 2QR: Second qualifying Res.: Result ET: Extra Time round sg: Match decided by silver GA: Goals against 2nd: second leg FT: Final tournament goal t: Match decided by toss of a PO: Play-off ELITE: Elite round coin Rep: Replay 3rdPO: Third-place play-off GF: Goals for W: Won PO - FT: Play-off for Final GS-FT: Group stage – final gg: Match decided by golden Y: Booked Tournament tournament goal L: Lost Y/R: Sent off (two yellow Nat.: Nationality cards) N/A: Not applicable f: Match forfeited Statistics -: Denotes player substituted +: Denotes player introduced *: Denotes player sent off +/-: Denotes player introduced and substituted Squad list D: Disciplinary *: Misses next match if booked S: Suspended QUAL: All UEFA qualifiers UEL: Current season total UEFA Europa League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday UEL: Total appearances in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final only UEFA: All-time total appearances in UEFA club competition including qualifying Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. More information can be found in the competition regulations available on UEFA.com.

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