UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadio Artemio Franchi - Florence Thursday 22 October 2015 19.00CET (19.00 local time) ACF Fiorentina Group I - Matchday 3 KKS Lech Poznań Last updated 15/10/2015 11:38CET Match background 2 Legend 3 1 ACF Fiorentina - KKS Lech Poznań Thursday 22 October 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence Match background ACF Fiorentina recorded a substantial away win on matchday two and are overdue a home success as they welcome KKS Lech Poznań in UEFA Europa League Group I. Previous meetings • The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition. • Fiorentina won both of their previous games against Polish opponents by a two-goal margin, beating RTS Widzew Łódź 3-1 at home and 2-0 away in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. • Lech have yet to win in four matches against Italian teams (D3 L1). Form guide • Fiorentina's 4-0 triumph at Os Belenenses on matchday two equalled their biggest margin of victory away from home in UEFA competition. However, they have lost their last two European fixtures at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. • Lech have yet to score in two Group I games (D1 L1). • Fiorentina have made it through to the round of 32 in all three of their UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns. • Lech progressed to the round of 32 in their two previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage participations. Trivia and links • The journey from Poznan to Florence is around 1,050km. • The game is taking place the day after Lech forward Dariusz Formella's 20th birthday. • Fiorentina's on-loan Poland midfielder Jakub Błaszczykowski started his career at KS Częstochowa before moving on to Lech's domestic rivals Wisła Kraków in 2005. He joined the Viola on a temporary basis in the summer after eight years at Borussia Dortmund. • Lech are one of ten domestic champions in this season's group stage, along with KF Skenderbëu (Albania), Qarabağ FK (Albania), APOEL FC (Cyprus), FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic), FC Midtjylland (Denmark), FK Partizan (Serbia), Molde FK (Norway), Celtic FC (Scotland) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland). The coaches • A European champion as a player with Juventus (1996) and Borussia Dortmund (1997), former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa joined Fiorentina in June and is on the hunt for a third title in as many seasons, having won the 2013/14 Israeli crown with Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC and the Swiss Super League last term with Basel. • Jan Urban replaced Maciej Skorża as Lech coach in the run-up to matchday three with the Polish champions bottom of the Ekstraklasa table. Former Poland striker Urban won three national titles as a player and two more as Legia Warszawa coach. 2 ACF Fiorentina - KKS Lech Poznań Thursday 22 October 2015 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence 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. 3.