Rovers seek redemption against PAOK

Shamrock Rovers FC will look to secure their first UEFA Europa League group stage points as PAOK FC make a maiden trip to Dublin for this Group A meeting. Previous meetings • PAOK won 2-1 in Salonika as the two teams met for the first time in UEFA competition on matchday three, having never played a club from their opponents' country before. • Costin Laz?r (12) put PAOK in front, but while Karl Sheppard (48) headed Rovers level, Vieirinha (63) struck the winner. • This is only the second time that Greek and Irish clubs have been drawn together in a UEFA competititon; back in the first round of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Panathinaikos FC beat Rovers' Dublin neighbours Shelbourne FC 3-0 at home and 2-1 away. Match background • Rovers have won just one of their last seven European home games, with the other five fixtures producing two draws and four defeats. The Irish side's 3-0 loss to FC Rubin Kazan on matchday one was their heaviest home defeat in the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League. • PAOK are unbeaten in their last eight European games, recording four wins and four draws since a 1-0 home defeat by PFC CSKA Moskva in last season's UEFA Europa League round of 32. • PAOK have gone five games without a European away defeat (two wins and three draws) since a 1-0 loss at Villarreal CF – on 21 October 2010 – in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage. • Prior to their 2-1 extra-time win against FK Partizan in this season's UEFA Europa League play-offs, Rovers had not scored in three European fixtures on the road. They lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC on matchday two. Team facts • Since the first leg, Rovers have claimed their 17th Irish title; they remain the most successful club in Irish football. • Four clubs have yet to pick up a point in the group stage: Rovers, Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, Malmö FF and AEK Athens FC. • PAOK's second goal on matchday three was the 100th Rovers have conceded in UEFA club competition. The next goal Rovers score will be their 50th. This is their 58th UEFA game. • PAOK are within three goals of conceding their 100th in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League. This will be their 84th match in the two competitions. • PAOK also need just four more goals to reach 150 in UEFA competition. This will be their 112th game, having made their debut in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with a 0-0 draw at SK Rapid Wien. • Both of Rovers' group stage goals have come within five minutes of the restart. • Dublin-born forward Ian Daly plays for Rovers' rivals St Patrick's Athletic FC, but he previously had a spell with PAOK's rivals Aris Thessaloniki FC, where he made seven appearances. • Gary Twigg has established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Ireland since he joined Rovers from Brechin City FC in 2009, but he has yet to score in UEFA competition for the Hoops. This will be his 13th appearance. • Capped 108 times by Romania, PAOK coach László Bölöni has been involved with four other clubs competing in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage; he played for FC Steaua Bucure?ti (1984-87) and coached Sporting Clube de Portugal (2001-03), Stade Rennais FC (2003-06) and R. Standard de Liège (2008-10). • A semi-professional side, Rovers will look for guidance from their manager Michael O'Neill, who made 33 senior appearances for Northern Ireland, and played UEFA club competition games for Coleraine FC (1987-88), Dundee United FC (1990-91) and Glentoran FC (2002-03). He also played for English clubs Newcastle United FC, Coventry City FC and Wigan Athletic FC.