Fulham FC‘s Dutch boss Martin Jol will be up against his countrymen as the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League finalists take on FC Twente in their opening UEFA Europa League Group K game.
The sides are meeting for the first time in Europe and this is also Fulham’s maiden experience of Dutch opponents.
Twente are yet to win in 11 games against English sides, boasting the unenviable record W0 D4 L7 (W0 D1 L5 in England). Their two previous games in London ended in a 4-0 loss at Arsenal FC in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and a 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur FC in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage.
Fulham FC have already played eight European games this season, since entering the first qualifying round through the UEFA Respect Fair Play system. They have won six of those and drawn two.
The Cottagers are the only side to have made it all the way from the first qualifying round to the group stage this season.
Fulham FC remain unbeaten in 20 European home games (16 wins and four draws) stretching back to their European debut, a 0-0 UEFA Intertoto Cup draw against FC Haka on 6 July 2002. They have won their last nine continental fixtures at Craven Cottage, where they have not conceded a goal in UEFA matches this season.
Twente FC have gone four games (three defeats and a draw) without a win on their European travels since beating FC Rubin Kazan 2-0 in last season’s UEFA Europa League round of 32.