Panathinaikos vs FCB: did you know...

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There are plenty of curiosities attached to third encounter history has produced between Panathinaikos and Barça, and here are some of the best.

► Barça have never won away to Panathinaikos. They lost in the quarter finals of the Champions League in 2001/02 and drew in the group stages of 05/06.

► In neither of those games, which ended 1-0 and 0-0, did Barça get an away goal at Panathinaikos.

► But Barça have won in Athens before. They won 3-0 against Panionios (UEFA 2003/04) and saw off AEK 1-0 (UEFA 2000/01).

► Luis García scored that night against Panionios, and now he’s playing for Panathinaikos.

► Barcelona first visited Greece in 1976, in the first round of the UEFA Cup. PAOK Salonika won 1-0.

► Panathinaikos have a new manager after Nikos Nioplais was sacked on November 15. They are now managed by Portugal’s Jesualdo Ferreira, who started the season at Malaga.

►  Barça have only lost one of their last fourteen away games in Europe.

► Several meetings of old friends tonight … Sebastián Leto and Javier Mascherano played together at Liverpool in 2007/08, and Sidney Govou and Éric Abidal were team mates at Olympique Lyon from 2004 to 2007.

► And Alves and Adriano know Gilberto from the Brazilian national team, Cissé, Govou, Boumsong and Abidal from the French one, and Kanté and Keita play together for Mali.

► Messi is the second highest goalscorer in the Champions League so far. Only Eto’o has more, with seven.

► Karagounis misses the game through suspension after being carded against Shakhtar. Barça’s only suspended player is Pinto.