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PSG plotting to pull rank on Karpaty

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Paris Saint-Germain FC boast by far the greater European experience but they would be advised not to take UEFA Europa League Group J rivals FC Karpaty Lviv lightly in the French capital.

PSG clinched an excellent success at Sevilla on Matchday 1
PSG clinched an excellent success at Sevilla on Matchday 1 ©Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain FC's experience of European competition dwarfs that of their visitors, but as they proved in their valiant loss BV Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 1, FC Karpaty Lviv are not to be underestimated in Group J.

Previous meetings
• The teams will be crossing paths for the first time in UEFA club competition, and this is also Karpaty's first experience of a French side.

• PSG's six games against Ukrainian clubs have ended W4 D1 L1 (W2 D1 L0 at home). They have never conceded a goal against a Ukrainian outfit in France.

Match background
• PSG are unbeaten in ten European home matches since a 4-2 loss to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage. They have not conceded a goal in their last five European games at the Parc des Princes.

• Karpaty have lost only once away from home in Europe, with a 3-1 defeat at Shelbourne FC in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round their only slip-up on their travels to date.

Team facts
• Antoine Kombouaré was hired as PSG coach in May 2009, finishing his first full season by leading his charges to success in the 2009/10 French Cup. Initially a defender for FC Nantes, the New Caledonian-born player represented PSG from 1990 to 1995, winning a league title, two French Cups and a League Cup before moving on to FC Sion and later Aberdeen FC. PSG's reserve coach for a while, he took the reins at RC Strasbourg and then Valenciennes FC before returning to his old club.

• Born in Kursk, Russia, but Belarusian by nationality, Karpaty coach Oleg Kononov started his playing career with FC Iskra Smolensk before spending most of his career in Belarus, winning the nation's Player of the Year award in 1998, during his time at FC Torpedo Minsk. He took over at Karpaty in 2008 following a spell as assistant coach at FC Sheriff in Moldova.

• Karpaty are the most inexperienced side in this season's UEFA Europa League – this will be their 14th UEFA club competition game and their tenth in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League.

© 1998-2024 UEFA. All rights reserved. Last updated: Tuesday, April 5, 2011

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