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Panathinaikos welcome Tottenham to Athens

Tottenham Hotspur FC have an indifferent record in Greece and Panathinaikos FC will be hoping to extend it when the clubs meet in Athens in UEFA Europa League Group J.

Tottenham's Clint Dempsey takes on Lazio striker Miroslav Klose on matchday one
Tottenham's Clint Dempsey takes on Lazio striker Miroslav Klose on matchday one ©Getty Images

After a chastening 3-0 loss on matchday one, Panathinaikos FC will look to get their UEFA Europa League Group J campaign back on track against Tottenham Hotspur FC as two former FC Porto coaches come face-to-face.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time.

• Panathinaikos's record in 16 games against English teams is W1 D5 L10 (W1 D3 L4 in Athens – W0 D2 L6 in England). That lone victory came against Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 26 September 2001.

• Spurs' four games against Greek clubs have ended W1 D1 L2 (W1 D0 L1 at home – W0 D1 L1 in Greece). They met PAOK FC in last season's group stage, drawing 0-0 in Salonika and losing 2-1 in London. They have not won in three matches against Greek opposition and have never scored in Greece.

Match background
• Panathinaikos have not scored in three UEFA fixtures, losing two and drawing one. However, they have not conceded a goal at home in Europe this season, recording a 3-0 win and a goalless draw.

• Spurs have conceded just once in their last four European away games, which have included 4-0 and 5-0 wins, a 0-0 draw at PAOK, and a 1-0 defeat at FC Rubin Kazan in last season's group stage.

• This is Panathinaikos's fourth UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaign, and they have successfully reached the knockout phase of the competition in all of their previous efforts.

• Spurs are returning to the group stage of this competition for a fifth time. Including their 2010/11 UEFA Champions League campaign, they reached the knockout phase in four of their five previous UEFA group stage attempts, missing the cut for the first time in last term's UEFA Europa League.

Team facts
• Panathinaikos's André Pinto turns 23 the day after the match.

• Tottenham need four more goals to reach 200 in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League. This is their 96th game in the two competitions.

• Hélder Postiga played for both clubs: he represented Spurs in 2003/04 and then spent half a season on loan at Panathinaikos in 2008.

• Panathinaikos's Ghana winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie had a trial at Tottenham in January 2009. He started his career at Arsenal, and also played for Birmingham City FC, Cardiff City FC and Portsmouth FC during his time in England.

• Other Greens players with Premier League experience include Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle United FC) and Sebastián Leto (Liverpool FC).

• Panathinaikos defender José Manuel Velázquez and Tottenham attacking midfielder Iago Falqué spent a season together in the Villarreal CF B team in 2010/11.

• Panathinaikos's coach is Jesualdo Ferreira. Once trainer of Portugal's Under-21 side and assistant boss of the senior national team, he coached SL Benfica and SC Braga before winning an unprecedented three successive Liga titles at Porto from 2006 to 2010. He took command at Panathinaikos in November 2010.

• Tottenham manager André Villas-Boas received his first break in coaching as a teenager from then Porto boss Sir Bobby Robson, and later assisted José Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea FC and FC Internazionale Milano, before striking out alone at A. Académica de Coimbra and then leading Porto to a domestic double and the UEFA Cup in 2010/11. A move to Chelsea that summer proved to be ill-fated, but he took charge at Spurs in July 2012.

• André Pinto was on the books at Porto during Villas-Boas's spell in charge, though he spent that season on loan with Portimonense SC.

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