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Feyenoord v Zorya background

Feyenoord edged out Zorya in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs, but the manner of their defeat should spur the Ukrainian side as they return to Rotterdam in Group A.

Feyenoord celebrate Tonny Trindade's goal against United
Feyenoord celebrate Tonny Trindade's goal against United ©Getty Images

Feyenoord have reason to remember with fondness their only previous meetings with Zorya Luhansk, an added-time goal having thwarted their Ukrainian opponents, who will be out for revenge in Group A.

Previous meetings
• In the sides' only past encounters, Yuriy Vernydub's Zorya lost to Fred Rutten's Feyenoord in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs; the teams drew 1-1 in Ukraine, before playing out an extraordinary return fixture in Rotterdam. Zorya levelled the scores after trailing 3-0 and were in sight of an away goals success when substitute Elvis Manu struck in stoppage time to make it 4-3 to the hosts.

• The line-ups for that game on 28 August 2014 were:
Feyenoord: Mulder, Wilkshire, Mathijsen (Manu 84), Kongolo*, Clasie (Achahbar 84), Immers, Başaçıkoğlu* (Nelom* 78), Te Vrede, Trindade*, Van Beek, Schaken.
Zorya: M Shevchenko, Chaykovskiy* (Hrystai 79), Kamenyuka*, Segbefia (Ljubenović* 66), Ignjatijević (Pysko 72), Malinovskiy, Karavaev*, Biliy, Budkivskiy, Khomchenovskiy, Pylyavskiy.

* registered to play for their clubs in this season's competition

• Those matches were Zorya's sole previous experience of Dutch opposition, while that return fixture was Feyenoord's solitary victory in six meetings with Ukrainian sides (W1 D2 L3 – W1 D1 L1 in Rotterdam).

Form guide
• Feyenoord have won five of their last six European home games. They last featured in this competition in 2014/15, making the round of 32, where a 2-1 home reverse to Roma ended their challenge.

• Feyenoord have lifted the UEFA Cup twice, in 1973/74 and 2001/02.

• This is Zorya's debut UEFA group stage campaign.

• Zorya's eight European away matches to date have ended W4 D1 L3.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Luhansk to Rotterdam is around 2,500km, though Zorya are playing their European home fixtures in Odesa, just shy of 2,000km from Feyenoord's home city.

• Feyenoord's squad go into the game with 358 UEFA club competition appearances between them, compared with Zorya's 173. They are also 47-9 ahead in terms of goals.

The coaches
• Giovanni van Bronckhorst steered Feyenoord to Dutch Cup glory last season, his first in charge of his old club. As a player, the former Netherlands captain landed league championships with Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona, also scooping the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League with the Catalans.

• Yuriy Vernydub has occupied the Zorya helm since stepping up from his role as assistant coach in November 2011. A Russian Cup winner with Zenit in 1999, towards the end of his playing career, he guided Zorya to a fourth-placed finish in Ukraine last term.

• Vernydub's son Vitaliy is playing in this season's group stage for Gabala.