Haifa prepare for Partizan rematch

Old adversaries will meet again as Maccabi Haifa FC meet FK Partizan in UEFA Cup Group A ten years after their previous meeting in the competition.

• Maccabi have three points after two Group A games, winning 3-1 at home against AJ Auxerre before losing 2-0 at Rangers FC on Matchday 2.

• Partizan did not play on Matchday 1 and were denied a win in their opening Group A fixture as AS Livorno Calcio goalkeeper Marco Amelia's late header earned his side a 1-1 draw in Belgrade.

• This will be the two sides' third game in European competition, having previously come face to face in a two-legged 1996/97 UEFA Cup preliminary round tie.

• Partizan won 1-0 in the away leg with Djordje Svetlicić scoring the only goal.

• Partizan also won the second leg 3-1 in Belgrade, with Viktor Trenevski, Niša Saveljić and Georgi Hristov after Haim Revivo had opened the scoring for the Israeli side.

• Current Maccabi player Alon Harazi, coach Roni Levy and, as a substitute, Adoram Keise played in both legs of that tie, with goalkeeper Nir Davidovich twice an unused substitute.

• Current Partizan midfielder Ivan Tomić came on as a substitute in both legs of the same game, while goalkeeper Ivica Kralj was an unused substitute both times.

• Maccabi have met Serbian opposition on three occasions, including those two ties against Partizan, losing 4-0 against FK Proleter in their only other meeting in a 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup game. Thus they have lost all of their UEFA tournament games against Serbian, Serbo-Montenegrin or Yugoslavian opposition.

• Partizan, meanwhile, have played a total of four games against Israeli sides, with a two-legged 2005/06 UEFA Cup first round tie against Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC in addition to the two meetings with Maccabi Haifa. Partizan won the away leg of that tie 2-0 only to lose 5-2 at home and bow out of the competition.

• Auxerre play Rangers in Matchday 3's other Group A game.