The mean, green grass of home

By Andy Hall

When FK Austria Wien travel to Real Zaragoza to try and make up for a 1-1 home draw in the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie, history will be against them. The Spanish club's La Romareda stadium has been an impregnable European fortress for nearly two decades.

Spanish fortress
No visiting side has come away from La Romareda with a victory since AFC Ajax triumphed on their way to winning the 1986/87 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Zaragoza will be hoping that statistic, and some memorable achievements from the past, can inspire them to reach the last eight.

Previous triumph
Zaragoza won the UEFA Cup in its previous incarnation as the Inter-Cities' Fairs Cup in 1962/63 when they beat Valencia CF 2-1 in the final at the Camp Nou and earned the nickname 'Los Magníficos' - a reference to the hit film The Magnificent Seven.

Famous goal
More recently, Zaragoza pulled off a coup in the 1994/95 Cup Winners' Cup final when a memorable long-range lob from Nayim in the dying seconds of the second period of extra time gave them a 2-1 win against Arsenal FC at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Coaching question
Current Zaragoza coach Víctor Muñoz is hoping not to leave it so late to overcome Austria. The 48-year-old has spent much of the week since his side returned from Vienna studying videotapes of Austria to get to grips with their effective counterattacking style.

Austrian alumnus
One man who knows both clubs is Austrian-born former Zaragoza goalkeeper Otto Konrad, who starred for the Aragón-based club between 1997-98. "Austria might be surprised to find themselves facing a different Zaragoza to the one they met at the Ernst Happel stadium," he said. "They will not play the same way at home. Savio's goal from the first leg has really hurt Austria - that could be the deciding factor."

Attacking spearhead
Alberto Zapater will act as a shield for the back four tonight, allowing playmakers José María Movilla and David Generelo room to guide the ball to the forwards. David Villa, who recently ended a goalscoring drought, will spearhead an attacking combination featuring Luciano Galletti and Savio.

'No excuses'
Although confidence is running high in Zaragoza, Villa said: "We have absolutely no margin for error. We played a difficult match in Vienna but this time we will have our people behind us and, for that reason, we have no excuses not to put in a great performance. We have demonstrated that we are strong in two-legged ties and that should give us the confidence to beat anyone."

Unusual opportunity
"Everyone at the club hopes to do well in this tournament," added midfield player Óscar González. "This is a competition you do not play in every day and we have to make the most of the chances that come our way. It is an extra motivation for us and we know that we have to approach each game with the right mentality and hopefully, give our fans something to smile about."

Final chance
With Zaragoza lying in eleventh place in the Primera División, they have little chance of providing much joy for their supporters in the league this season. They are also out of the Copa del Rey - the competition they won last year to qualify for the UEFA Cup - so much hinges on Thursday's tie if they are to get something out of their season. A fact not lost on Villa: "We will be treating this game like it was a final," he said.