McClaren seeks happy homecoming

Having already played at Arsenal FC with his new club, FC Twente coach Steve McClaren returns to his native England again in UEFA Cup Group A looking to maintain his impressive personal record against Manchester City FC.

• Former Middlesbrough FC and England manager McClaren is no stranger to English football. Ironically, his first game as Twente coach saw him face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round this season, with his side losing 2-0 at home and 4-0 in London.

• Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant at Old Trafford has a great record in games against City, with five wins and three draws from his eight games against the Manchester club as Middlesbrough boss.

• City manager Mark Hughes has faced Dutch opposition as a coach, with his Blackburn Rovers FC side drawing 0-0 at Feyenoord in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage.

• He also played in both legs of an epic 1984/85 UEFA Cup second-round tie against PSV Eindhoven which remained goalless until current Celtic FC manager Gordon Strachan scored the winner in extra time in the second leg at Old Trafford.

• In five games between Hughes and McClaren during their spells at Blackburn and Middlesbrough respectively, the Welshman has the upper hand with three wins to McClaren's two.

• Twente and City have met before, going head to head in a 1978/79 UEFA Cup first-round game. They drew 1-1 in Enschede, Hallvar Thoresen cancelling out Dave Watson's first-half opener for City.

• A Piet Wildschut own goal gave Tony Book's side a flying start in the return leg at Maine Road, but Niels Overweg levelled. Goals from Brian Kidd and Colin Bell then put City in control, and while Ab Gritter replied late on, the hosts won 3-2 to proceeed 4-3 on aggregate.

• The teams for that second fixture were:
City: Joe Corrigan, Kenny Clements, Paul Power, Colin Viljoen (Colin Bell, 53), Dave Watson, Paul Futcher, Mick Channon, Gary Owen, Brian Kidd, Asa Hartford, Peter Barnes.
Twente: Eddy Pasveer, Kees van Ierssel, Hallvar Thoresen, Epi Drost, Frans Thijssen, Niels Overweg, Piet Wildschut, Kick van der Vall, Jaap Bos (Harry Bruggink, 69), Theo Pahlplatz, Ab Gritter.

• Twente midfielder Thijssen would subsequently enjoy several good years in England with Nottingham Forest FC and Ipswich Town FC with whom he won the 1980/81 UEFA Cup and the same season's Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

• The two-legged tie with Twente represents 1969/70 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners City's only previous competitive fixture against Dutch opponents.

• Twente have yet to win a game against an English side, drawing three and losing five, and their record in England reads drawn one and lost three.

• Twente have lost their last six away games in European club competition.

• This will be City's opening Group A game while Romano Denneboom's early goal gave Twente a 1-0 win against Real Racing Club in their first fixture.

• Racing are at home against FC Schalke 04 in Matchday 2's other Group A game. Paris Saint-Germain FC are the only team in the section not in action on Thursday.