UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2016/17 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Tallaght Stadium - Dublin Thursday 24 November 2016 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Dundalk FC Group D - Matchday 5 AZ Alkmaar Last updated 28/02/2017 11:47CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 13 Match officials 16 Legend 17 1 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers S. Wuytens 61; Kilduff 15/09/2016 GS AZ Alkmaar - Dundalk FC 1-1 Alkmaar 89 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Dundalk FC 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 AZ Alkmaar 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 Dundalk FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 0-2 Newe 72 (og), Meijer 30/09/1987 R1 Dundalk FC - AFC Ajax Dundalk agg: 0-6 87 Rijkaard 65, Blind 73, 16/09/1987 R1 AFC Ajax - Dundalk FC 4-0 Amsterdam Winter 80, Stapleton 84 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Van der Kuijlen 19, 6-0 Postuma 33, R. van 29/09/1976 R1 PSV Eindhoven - Dundalk FC Eindhoven agg: 7-1 de Kerkhof 38, 52, 59, 89 McDowell 6; Van der 15/09/1976 R1 Dundalk FC - PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Dundalk Kuijlen 75 AZ Alkmaar - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-0 30/09/1982 R1 AZ Alkmaar - Limerick FC Alkmaar Jonker 74 agg: 2-1 15/09/1982 R1 Limerick FC - AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Limerick Nolan 40; Jonker 47 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Dundalk FC 2 0 1 1 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 3 2 14 AZ Alkmaar 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 3 2 2 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Match background Dundalk's next target is to become the first Irish side to make it through a major UEFA group stage as they welcome underperforming AZ Alkmaar in UEFA Europa League Group D. • Dundalk and Maccabi Tel-Aviv meet on matchday six so neither can go through or out before that. • AZ are eliminated if they lose, or if they draw and Maccabi avoid defeat; Zenit have a maximum 12 points and have already won the group. Previous meetings • Ciaran Kilduff's late goal earned Dundalk a 1-1 draw at Alkmaar – and the first point for an Irish club in the UEFA Europa League group stage – when the teams met for the first time on matchday one. • Dundalk's record in five matches against Eredivisie opposition is W0 D2 L3. Those defeats include a 6-0 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of a 1976/77 European Cup first-round tie. • AZ's only previous encounters with Irish opponents came in a 1982/83 UEFA Cup first-round clash with Limerick, the Dutch side edging through 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-0 second-leg success in Alkmaar. Form guide • Dundalk have scored once in all four of their Group D games to date, those four goals earning them four points. This is the 11th match of what is comfortably their longest European campaign ever. • AZ are without a win in their last seven group stage away fixtures (D3 L4). • Dundalk are making their UEFA group stage debut. The only Irish club to have previously graced a UEFA Europa League group stage are Shamrock Rovers, who lost all six of their games in 2011/12. • AZ have successfully negotiated five of their eight preceding UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns. Links and trivia • The journey from Alkmaar to Dundalk is around 750km. • Since they last met AZ, Dundalk have confirmed their third successive Irish league title, though they lost 1-0 to Cork City in the FAI Cup final on 6 November. Their domestic season is now over. The coaches • Dundalk boss Stephen Kenny started his managerial career with Longford Town, aged 27, and won a league championship with Bohemians in 2002/03, aged 32. Hired by Dundalk in 2013, he steered the club to Irish league crowns in 2014 and 2015. • AZ coach John van den Brom spent the bulk of his playing career as a midfielder with Vitesse and was capped twice by the Netherlands. As a coach, he landed the Belgian title with Anderlecht in 2013, taking command in Alkmaar in 2014. 3 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Team facts Dundalk FC Formed: 1903 Nickname: Lilywhites UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 11 (2015) Irish Cup: 10 (2015) Ten-year record (UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League unless indicated otherwise) 2015/16: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2014/15: second qualifying round 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA competition 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA competition 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA competition 2010/11: second qualifying round 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA competition 2006/07: did not take part in UEFA competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 4-0: Dundalk v Fram Reykjavík 30/09/81, European Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg • Biggest away win 0-2: AS Jeunesse Esch v Dundalk 01/07/14, UEFA Europa League first qualifying round first leg 0-2: Linfield FC v Dundalk 05/09/79, European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: Dundalk v FK Crvena zvezda 07/09/88, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 8-1: Vasas SC v Dundalk 11/10/67, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round second leg UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League (group stage to final) • Biggest home win 3-1: Dundalk v AS Jeunesse Esch 10/07/14, first qualifying round second leg • Biggest away win 0-2: AS Jeunesse Esch v Dundalk (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-4: Dundalk v NK Varaždin 29/08/02, qualifying round second leg • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: PFC Levski Sofia 6-0 Dundalk 15/07/10, second qualifying round first leg AZ Alkmaar Formed: 1967 Nickname: Kaaskoppen (Cheeseheads) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Cup: (1981) 4 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 2 (2009) Dutch Cup: 4 (2013) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2015/16: group stage 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2013/14: quarter-finals 2012/13: play-offs 2011/12: quarter-finals 2010/11: group stage 2009/10: UEFA Champions League group stage 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: group stage 2006/07: quarter-finals Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 11-1: AZ v Differdange 14/09/77, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Biggest away win 0-5: Differdange v AZ 27/09/77, UEFA Cup first round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AZ v Anji 30/08/12, UEFA Europa League play-off second leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Zenit v AZ 29/09/16, UEFA Europa League group stage UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 11-1: AZ v Differdange (see above) • Biggest away win 0-5: Differdange v AZ (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-5: AZ v Anji (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 5-0: Zenit v AZ (see above) 5 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin Squad list Dundalk FC Current season All-time UCL UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Gary Rogers IRL 25/09/1981 35 - 6 - 3 - 29 - 3 - 31 - 22 Gabriel Sava ROU 15/10/1986 30 - - - 1 - 4 - 1 - 4 - 30 Ben Kelly IRL 26/07/1997 19 - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 2 Seán Gannon IRL 11/07/1991 25 - 6 - 4 - 26 - 4 - 16 - 3 Brian Gartland IRL 04/11/1986 30 * 1 - 4 - 29 7 4 - 15 1 4 Andy Boyle IRL 07/03/1991 25 - 6 - 4 - 32 3 4 - 16 - 12 Shane Grimes IRL 09/03/1987 29 - - - - - 4 - - - - - 14 Dane Massey IRL 17/04/1988 28 - 6 - 4 - 30 3 4 - 16 - 15 Patrick Barrett IRL 22/07/1993 23 - 6 - - - 16 3 - - 6 - 24 Alan Keane IRL 23/09/1984 32 - - - - - 5 - - - 9 3 Midfielders 5 Chris Shields IRL 27/12/1990 25 - 5 - 4 - 25 - 4 - 14 - 6 Stephen O'Donnell IRL 15/01/1986 30 - 5 - 2 - 23 1 8 - 23 2 7 Daryl Horgan IRL 10/08/1992 24 - 6 - 4 1 31 9 4 1 15 1 8 John Mountney IRL 22/02/1993 23 - 5 - 4 - 30 2 4 - 15 1 10 Ronan Finn IRL 21/12/1987 28 - 6 - 4 - 29 7 9 - 27 - 11 Patrick McEleney IRL 26/09/1992 24 - 6 - 4 - 23 3 4 - 16 1 17 Georgie Poynton IRL 08/09/1997 19 - - - - - 4 - - - - - 18 Robbie Benson IRL 07/05/1992 24 - 6 2 3 1 24 2 3 1 13 3 19 Dean Shiels NIR 01/02/1985 31 - - - 3 - 9 3 5 - 11 - 21 Darren Meenan NIR 16/11/1986 30 - 1 - - - 24 1 - - 12 - Forwards 9 David McMillan IRL 14/12/1988 27 - 6 5 4 - 31 16 4 - 23 7 16 Ciaran Kilduff IRL 29/09/1988 28 - 5 - 4 2 20 7 9 2 19 2 20 Ciaran O'Connor IRL 04/07/1996 20 - - - - - 5 - - - - - 26 Michael O'Connor IRL 31/07/1998 18 - 1 - - - 3 1 - - 1 - Coach - Stephen Kenny IRL 30/10/1971 45 - 6 - 4 - - - 6 - 38 - 6 Dundalk FC - AZ Alkmaar Thursday 24 November 2016 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Tallaght Stadium, Dublin AZ Alkmaar Current season All-time QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No.