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Panathinaikos aim to bounce back in Bucharest

FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti are buoyant after a Matchday 1 win at SK Sturm Graz, but must be wary of Group F visitors Panathinaikos FC, who have something to prove after a 3-1 home loss to Galatasaray AŞ.

Panathinaikos aim to bounce back in Bucharest
Panathinaikos aim to bounce back in Bucharest ©UEFA.com

FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti are feeling buoyant after a 1-0 Matchday 1 win at SK Sturm Graz, but must be wary of UEFA Europa League visitors Panathinaikos FC, who have something to prove after a 3-1 home loss to Galatasaray AŞ.

Previous meetings
• Mircea Lucescu's Dinamo crushed Panathinaikos in a 1989/90 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second-round tie, winning 2-0 in Athens and then 6-1 in Bucharest, the latter result prompting coach Gunder Bengtsson's dismissal.

• The teams for that latter game at the Cotroceni Stadium (01/11/89) were:
Dinamo: Stelea, Mihăescu (Mészáros, 69), Klein, Rednic, Timofte, Andone, Vaiscovici (Zamfir, 75), Sabău, Răducioiu, Mateuţ, Lupu.
Panathinaikos: Sarganis, Hatziathanassiou, Samaras, Kalantzis, Kalitzakis, Mavridis, Georgakopoulos (Polak, 46), Antoniou, Dimopoulos, Kolev (Vlachos, 46), Georgamlis.

• Dănuţ Lupu, who played for Dinamo in that game, would go on to spend the 1990/91 season at Panathinaikos.

Match background
• Dinamo competed in two UEFA Cup group stage campaigns, missing the cut in 2005/06 but making it to the round of 32 the following season.

• Panathinaikos took part in the UEFA Cup group stage in 2006/07 and 2007/08, reaching the round of 32 both times.

• Dinamo have gone five European home matches without a win since beating Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage.

Team facts
• Dinamo are coached by former central defender Dario Bonetti, who played for AS Roma, UC Sampdoria and AC Milan and won the 1989/90 UEFA Cup with Juventus.

• Bonetti faced Panathinaikos with Sampdoria in the group stage of the 1991/92 European Champion Clubs' Cup. An unused substitute in a 0-0 draw in Athens, he played a full part as the sides drew 1-1 in Genoa. Sampdoria won the group but lost in the final, going down 1-0 to FC Barcelona after extra time at Wembley.

• The 1-1 draw against Panathinaikos was Bonetti's last game in Europe as a player.

• The first of Bonetti's two senior appearances for Italy came in a 2-0 friendly win against Greece (08/10/86).

• Panathinaikos coach Henk ten Cate spent most of his playing career as a winger with Go Ahead Eagles, one of a number of Dutch clubs whom he went on to coach. He went on to assist Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona coach and then Avram Grant as Chelsea FC manager either side of a spell at the AFC Ajax helm (2006/07).

• Ten Cate successfully guided Ajax through the 2006/07 group stage, bowing out to Werder Bremen in the round of 32.

• Dinamo visit Galatasaray AŞ on Matchday 3, while Panathinaikos host SK Sturm Graz on the same night, 22 October.