UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Euroborg - Groningen Thursday 17 September 2015 19.00CET (19.00 local time) FC Groningen Group F - Matchday 1 Olympique de Marseille Last updated 16/02/2016 18:21CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Team facts 5 Squad list 7 Fixtures and results 10 Match-by-match lineups 13 Match officials 14 Legend 15 1 FC Groningen - Olympique de Marseille Thursday 17 September 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Euroborg, Groningen Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams FC Groningen - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Intertoto Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Montpellier Hérault SC - FC Deplace 11, Rouviere 19/07/1997 GS 3-0 Montpellier Groningen 27, Alicarte 64 Olympique de Marseille - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Enoh 33, Sulejmani AFC Ajax - Olympique de 2-2 18/03/2009 R16 Amsterdam 74; Niang 35, Mears Marseille agg 3-4 (aet) 110 ET Olympique de Marseille - AFC Cheyrou 19, Niang 12/03/2009 R16 2-1 Marseille Ajax 33; Suárez 36 (P) 0-1 FC Twente - Olympique de 26/02/2009 R3 agg: 1-1 (aet, 6- Enschede Ben Arfa 24 Marseille 7pens) Olympique de Marseille - FC 19/02/2009 R3 0-1 Marseille Arnautovic 22 Twente UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Olympique de Marseille - PSV Koné 30, Niang 63, 04/11/2008 GS 3-0 Marseille Eindhoven 71 PSV Eindhoven - Olympique de 22/10/2008 GS 2-0 Eindhoven Koevermans 71, 85 Marseille UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Olympique de Marseille - sc 24/11/2005 GS 1-0 Marseille Taiwo 88 (P) Heerenveen UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Olympique de Marseille - 22/03/2000 GS2 0-0 Marseille Feyenoord Feyenoord - Olympique de Cruz 72, 90+3, 07/12/1999 GS2 3-0 Rotterdam Marseille Bosvelt 83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers AFC Ajax - Olympique de 1-2 Larsson 22; Papin 64, 20/04/1988 SF Amsterdam Marseille agg: 4-2 K. Allofs 90+1 2 FC Groningen - Olympique de Marseille Thursday 17 September 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Euroborg, Groningen UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Olympique de Marseille - AFC Witschge 11, 41, 06/04/1988 SF 0-3 Marseille Ajax Bergkamp 88 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Cruyff 32, 64, Swart AFC Ajax - Olympique de 4-1 03/11/1971 R2 Amsterdam 37, Haan 80; Marseille agg: 6-2 Couécou 17 Olympique de Marseille - AFC Gress 10; Keizer 37, 20/10/1971 R2 1-2 Marseille Ajax Cruyff 68 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA FC Groningen 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 Olympique de Marseille 7 3 1 3 6 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 13 5 2 6 13 19 3 FC Groningen - Olympique de Marseille Thursday 17 September 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Euroborg, Groningen Match background FC Groningen embark on their first UEFA Europa League group stage campaign with a somewhat intimidating home game against 1993 European champions Olympique de Marseille in Group F. Previous meetings • The sides are meeting for the first time in European competition. • Groningen's only previous encounter with French opponents was a 3-0 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage loss at Montpellier Hérault SC. • Marseille's 13 matches against Dutch sides ended W5 D2 L6 (W3 D1 L3 at home - W2 D1 L3 in the Netherlands). Their most recent memories of the Netherlands are positive ones: Tyrone Mears scored an extra-time goal to earn them a 2-2 draw at AFC Ajax – and a 4-3 aggregate win – in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16. Form guide • Groningen are without a win in their last four European games – W0 D3 L1 • Marseille are without a win in ten European games (D1 L9), with their most recent European campaign in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage ending point-less. They have not won in six European away games (D1 L5) since a 2-1 win at FC Sheriff in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League play-offs. • Groningen are featuring in the group stage of a major UEFA competition for the first time. They are set to match their longest-ever European campaign with their six Group F games, having also played six matches by reaching the third round of the 1988/89 UEFA Cup. • Marseille have featured in this group stage in two previous campaigns; they made it through to the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32, but missed the cut in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League. Trivia and links • The journey from Marseille to Groningen is just over 1,100km, from the Mediterranean to within a few kilometres of the North Sea. • Marseille defender Paolo De Ceglie – on loan from Juventus – turns 29 on the day of the Groningen game. • Groningen midfielder Hedwiges Maduro can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance on matchday one. The former AFC Ajax man returned to the Netherlands this summer after spells with Valencia CF, Sevilla FC and PAOK FC. • Marseille boast Dutch talent in the form of centre-back Karim Rekik; the 20-year-old former Feyenoord trainee came to France this summer from Manchester City FC. He spent the last two seasons on loan at PSV Eindhoven, with whom he won the 2014/15 Eredivisie title. The coaches • Previously assistant coach, Erwin van de Looi took 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. • Míchel replaced Marcelo Bielsa as Marseille coach in August 2015. A two-time UEFA Cup winner with Real Madrid CF in the 1980s, he has coached Getafe CF and Sevilla FC in his native Spain, and came to France after leading Olympiacos FC to three successive domestic titles in Greece. 4 FC Groningen - Olympique de Marseille Thursday 17 September 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Euroborg, Groningen Team facts FC Groningen Formed: 1971 Nickname: Trots van het Noorden (Pride of the North) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) Dutch Cup: 1 (2015) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: second qualifying round 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: first round 2006/07: first round 2005/06: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 5-1: Groningen v Galway United FC 16/09/86, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Biggest away win 1-4: JK Trans Narva v Groningen 29/06/96, UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage • Heaviest home defeat 1-3: Groningen v VfB Stuttgart 22/11/98, third round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: FC Internazionale Milano v Groningen 02/11/83, UEFA Cup second round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 5-1: Groningen v Galway United FC (see above) • Biggest away win 1-3: Galway United FC v Groningen 01/10/86, UEFA Cup first round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 1-3: Groningen v VfB Stuttgart (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: FC Internazionale Milano v Groningen (see above) Olympique de Marseille Formed: 1899 Nicknames: Les Olympiens (The Olympians), Les Phocéens (The Phocians), OM UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • European Cup (1): (1991), 1993 • UEFA Cup: (1999), (2004) • UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 2005 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 9 (2010) 5 FC Groningen - Olympique de Marseille Thursday 17 September 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Euroborg, Groningen French Cup: 10 (1989) League Cup: 3 (2012) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2013/14: UEFA Champions League group stage 2012/13: group stage 2011/12: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 2010/11: UEFA Champions League round of 16 2009/10: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2008/09: quarter-finals (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2007/08: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2006/07: first round (having qualified as UEFA Intertoto Cup winners) 2005/06: round of 16 (having qualified as UEFA Intertoto Cup winners) Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 7-1: Marseille v US Luxembourg 03/10/73, UEFA Cup first round second leg 6-0: Marseille v PFC CSKA Moskva 17/03/93, UEFA Champions League group stage • Biggest away win 0-7: MŠK Žilina v Marseille 03/11/10, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-4: Marseille v Liverpool FC 11/12/07, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: 1.