Fenerbahce vs. AZ Alkmaar UEFA Cup Match Notes

Match notes courtesy of UEFA.com....

Louis van Gaal can complete a full set of wins against Istanbul's big three clubs as his AZ Alkmaar side go into the home leg of their UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie against Fenerbahçe SK with the scores level at 3-3.

• Demy de Zeeuw opened the scoring for the visitors early in the first leg but Tümer Metin put Fenerbahçe back on level terms by the interval. Goals from Nourdin Boukhari and Julian Jenner put AZ 3-1 up but Tuncay Şanlı and Tümer Metin scored to restore parity. • AZ have yet to lose a home game in European competition. They have now played 27 home games in UEFA competition without a single defeat.

• Fenerbahçe qualified for the Round of 32 as the third-placed side in UEFA Cup Group H. AZ finished top of Group C.

• Prior to the first leg, the two sides had never met in European competition.

• Fenerbahçe had previously played against Dutch opposition ten times in the course of four two-legged European Champion Clubs' Cup ties and two UEFA Champions League group stage games. They had won two of those games and lost eight. They have lost all four of their previous knockout ties against Eredivisie sides.

• AZ's only previous experience of Turkish opposition came from earlier in this season's UEFA Cup campaign as they beat Kayserispor over two legs to reach the group stage. They won 3-2 in the Netherlands and drew 1-1 in Turkiye.

• Prior to that victory, Van Gaal had led sides to two previous aggregate victories against Turkish clubs. His AFC Ajax team won 6-1 against Beşiktaş JK in a 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup tie while his FC Barcelona side twice beat Galatasaray SK in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• AZ's Georgian striker Shota Arveladze may have some useful knowledge of Turkish football having made his first move abroad in 1993/94 to spend three-and-a-half seasons with Fenerbahçe's Super League rivals Trabzonspor.

• The first-leg lineups were:AZ: Waterman, Jaliens, Luirink, De Cler, Steinsson, Martens (Vormer 89), Molhoek (Jenner 32), De Zeeuw, Boukhari, Dembélé (Lens 90), Koevermans.Fenerbahçe: Volkan, Ümit, Deniz, Edu, Appiah, Mehmet, Ugur (Olcan 66), Tümer, Alex, Tuncay, Deivid.

• The aggregate winners will face SV Zulte Waregem or Newcastle United FC in the Round of 16, playing away on 8 March before staging the return a week later.