Injury depleted AEK Athens and Hajduk Split face off in Group G with both sides in danger of UEFA Europa League elimination as they reconvene in Croatia next week on December 1.
Since the two sides last met, both have seen the departure of their head coach. AEK saw the resignation of coach Dusan Bajevic before Matchday 2 in the wake of a 3-1 loss at promoted Olympiakos Volou, bringing to an end his third spell as the club’s boss.
A win would see neither side will qualify on Matchday 5, but either team would be eliminated if they lose and Anderlecht win at Zenit St Petersburg.
A draw would keep both sides in the running for a last-32 place.
Goals from Rafik Djebbour, Nikos Liberopoulos and Nacho Scocco helped AEK win 3-1 when the sides met for the first time on Matchday 1, with Djebbour also missing a penalty for the home side.
AEK has been boosted by the re-signing of Scocco who put pen to paper on Thursday with AEK, signing on until 2013 despite heavy pressure from Olympiakos and Panathinaikos to sign the talented Argentine.
Hajduk has only won one game in five games against Greek clubs, but the Croats are undefeated in two matches at home, having won one and drawn the other.
AEK, meanwhile, has a good record against Croatian sides, having won four games out of five overall.
In Croatia, AEK has won and lost in its only two games away from home.
But AEK has failed to win in three European games since their Matchday 1 victory against Hajduk.
In fact, AEK’s away European record is rather paltry, with the ‘Enosis’ having won just once in their last nine European away games – 1-0 at Dundee United FC in this season’s Europa League play-offs.
Only one of AEK’s 21 UEFA club competition group stage away games has ended in victory; they beat FK Mlada Boleslav 1-0 in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage.
Since the two sides last met, both have seen the departure of their head coach.
AEK saw the resignation of coach Dusan Bajevic before Matchday 2 in the wake of a 3-1 loss at promoted Olympiakos Volou, bringing to an end his third spell as the club’s boss.
New boss Manolo Jimenez has his work cut out for him, with an unenviable injury list that has included most of the starting 11 in the past four weeks including stars Liberopoulos, Scocco, Djebbour, goal keeper Sebastian Saja,
Greek international Pantelis Kafes and the talismanic Nikos Georgeas.
Also in action that same day, Atletico Madrid will look to avenge a Matchday 1 defeat at home by Aris Thessalonica, with a victory in Spain sure to send the Europa League titleholders through to the last 32 as one of Group B’s top two.
Victory will send Atletico through. Defeat would spell elimination for Aris.
But history is against the Macedonian side. Aris are without an away win in three European games since beating Poland’s Jagiellonia Bialystok 2-1 in this season’s third qualifying round.
That remains their only victory in 11 European away fixtures since the turn of the millennium.
PAOK faces Belgian side Club Brugge at Toumba the following evening on December 2.
PAOK leads the highly competitive Group D, and a win would all but secure passage to the next round. Defeat would eliminate Brugge from Europe.