Krasnodar v PAOK background
Friday, October 23, 2015
Article summary
Krasnodar have lost only once in their nine European home games to date as Group C draw specialists PAOK come to Russia on UEFA Europa League matchday four.
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FC Krasnodar will hope to record their fourth successive UEFA Europa League home win when they host a PAOK FC side who have drawn all of their Group C matches.
Previous meetings
• It ended goalless when the teams met on matchday three in what was Krasnodar's first encounter with Greek opponents.
• PAOK's five games against Russian sides have ended W0 D4 L1 (W0 D2 L0 in Russia).
Form guide
• Krasnodar have won all three of their European home games this season and have lost only once in nine continental fixtures at Stadion Kuban to date (W6 D2 L1), VfL Wolfsburg prevailing 4-2 in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage.
• PAOK have drawn their last four European games. Liverpool FC and PAOK are the only clubs to have drawn all three of their group stage matches this season.
• SSC Napoli and PAOK have conceded just once, giving them the group stage's tightest defences. R. Standard de Liège, in 2011/12, are the only side to have made it to the end of a UEFA Europa League group stage with just one goal conceded.
• Krasnodar have now reached the UEFA Europa League group stage in both of their European campaigns. They did not make it to the round of 32 last term.
• PAOK have featured in five previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stages; they have made it to the knockout phase three times.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Salonika to Krasnodar is 1,400km.
• This is PAOK's 150th UEFA competition assignment; the previous 149 have ended W54 D47 L48.
• PAOK's Dimitar Berbatov has scored 34 goals in UEFA club competition – he needs one more to match Hristo Stoichkov's Bulgarian record of 35.
• The game takes place the day after Krasnodar defender Artur Jędrzejczyk's 28th birthday.
• Krasnodar defender Ragnar Sigurdsson can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance on matchday four.
The coaches
• Oleg Kononov has coached Krasnodar since 2013 and led the club to an impressive third-place finish in Russia last season. This is his third group stage campaign – he made it this far with FC Karpaty Lviv in 2010/11 and with Krasnodar last year.
• PAOK have been led by former Croatia defender Igor Tudor since June. Now 37, he won two league titles with Juventus and began his coaching career with HNK Hajduk Split – the club where he started and ended his playing days – winning the Croatian Cup in 2013.
