Old rivals Benfica and PSV play it again

SL Benfica and PSV Eindhoven go head to head in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals renewing acquaintances for the first time since 1998, the last of their five encounters.

Previous meetings
• The Benfica v PSV tie is the only 2010/11 UEFA Europa League quarter-final to involve teams that have met before. In statistical terms, honours are even after five ties, with both sides sporting W1 D3 L1 records.

• Benfica have lost one and drawn one in Lisbon, while PSV have drawn both their games on home soil against the Eagles.

• The teams first met in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals; Benfica drew 0-0 in Eindhoven but lost 2-1 at home to Kees Rijvers' side in the second leg.

• The teams for that tie in Lisbon on 19 March 1975 were:
Benfica: José Henrique, Artur Correia, António Barros, Messias Timula, Humberto Coelho, Vítor Martins (António Simões 74), Moinhos, António Oliveira, Vítor Baptista, Eusébio, Diamantino Costa.
PSV: Van Beveren, Deijkers, Nordqvist, Edström (Quaars 14), Strik, Lubse, René van de Kerkhof (Dahlqvist 74), Willy van de Kerkhof, Van Kraay, Krijgh, Van der Kuijlen.

• Guus Hiddink's PSV then beat António Oliveira's Benfica 6-5 on penalties to win the 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup final in Stuttgart, Hans van Breukelen saving the decisive spot kick from full-back António Veloso.

• The teams for that game on 25 May 1988 were:
PSV: Van Breukelen, Gerets, Nielsen, Koeman, Heintze, Van Aerle, Vanenburg, Linskens, Lerby, Kieft, Gillhaus (Janssen 107).
Benfica: Silvino Louro, António Veloso, Dito, Mozer, Álvaro, Chiquinho, Shéu, Elzo, António Pacheco, Magnusson (Hajry 112), Rui Águas (Wando 51).

• Their most recent meetings were in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League group stage, Graeme Souness's Benfica winning 2-1 at home and drawing 2-2 away against Sir Bobby Robson's side.

• Current Benfica forward Nuno Gomes played in both legs, scoring once in Lisbon and twice in Eindhoven.

• The sides for their last meeting in Lisbon on 30 September 1998 were:
Benfica: Preud'homme, Sousa, Andrade, Ronaldo, Bruno Basto, Pembridge, Poborský (Pringle 77), Hugo Leal, Thomas (Kandaurov 60), Nuno Gomes (Deane 77), João Pinto.
PSV: Waterreus, Abel Xavier, Van Nistelrooy, De Bilde (Nilis 63), Kolkka, Faber, Marcos, Iwan (Rommedahl 63), Khokhlov, Lucius, Van der Doelen (Bruggink 80).

• Abel Xavier, who played in both legs of this tie for PSV, had represented Benfica from 1993 from 1995.

Match background
• Including those previous meetings with PSV, Benfica have played 17 games against Dutch sides, with the record W6 D6 L5 (W5 D1 L2 in Lisbon). Aside from the 1988 European Cup final, Benfica played another game against Dutch opponents on neutral territory, losing 3-0 to AFC Ajax in a 1968/69 European Cup quarter-final replay in Paris.

• PSV's nine games against Portuguese opponents have ended W2 D4 L3 (W1 D1 L2 in Portugal).

• Benfica are unbeaten in four UEFA Europa League games – three wins and a draw – and have lost only one of their last 12 European home matches, with a 2-1 loss to FC Schalke 04 in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage breaking up a run of ten wins and one draw.

• PSV are unbeaten in their last five European away games, registering four wins and a draw on their travels, and scoring nine goals in the process.

• Benfica were eliminated by Liverpool FC at this stage of last season's UEFA Europa League, winning 2-1 at home before going down 4-1 at Anfield.

Team facts 
• Óscar Cardozo and Franco Jara are Benfica's top UEFA Europa League scorers this season with two goals each since the Eagles entered the competition in the round of 32.

• Marcelo, Erik Pieters, Ola Toivonen and Balázs Dzsudzsák have featured in all ten of PSV's games since the start of the UEFA Europa League group stage. Hungary striker Dzsudzsák is their top scorer in the competition this season with four goals.

• Benfica's Javier Saviola took on PSV with AS Monaco FC in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League round of 16; his side lost 1-0 in Eindhoven and 2-0 at home.

• The second leg of this tie will be Benfica's 100th UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League fixture. Their next defeat will be their 100th in UEFA club competition; this is their 332nd European fixture, making them the most experienced side left in the competition.

• Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has coached in one previous UEFA club competition game against a Dutch side, with his SC Braga team winning 2-1 at sc Heerenveen in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup group stage.

• With Braga and FC Porto also in the running, this is the first time three Portuguese sides have made the quarter-finals of the same UEFA competition.

• All four UEFA Europa League last-eight ties pit sides that have been in this competition since the start of the group stage (FC Dynamo Kyiv, Porto, PSV and Villarreal CF) against clubs that transferred from the UEFA Champions League group stage (FC Spartak Moskva, FC Twente, Braga and Benfica).

• The overall winners will take on the victors of the contest between Dynamo and Braga in the semi-finals on 28 April and 5 May, playing the second leg at home. The winners of that tie will be the nominal away side in the final at the Dublin Arena on 18 May.

• Should Braga meet Benfica, it would be the first time that two Portuguese sides would go head to head in a UEFA club competition tie.