10 things you need to know about Unirea Urziceni

Published 23:30 17/02/10

Liverpool really journey into the unknown tonight when they take not just their first steps in the nascent Europa League, but also square up to Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni for the first time.

Here's your 10 point guide to their opponents:

1) Unirea Urziceni is a football team from Urziceni, south-east Romania, that was founded in 1954.

2) Their nickname, amusingly, is Chelsea de Ialomita (or Chelsea of Ialomita for those of you who don't speak Romanian) courtesy of their former manager - and Stamford Bridge favourite - Dan Petrescu, Unirea Urziceni boast a lion on their badge and play in blue. We've yet to confirm whether they have the same liberal approach to their team mates wives and girlfriends, though.

3) They play their league matches at the Stadionul Tineretului (or Stadium of Youth), a cosy little 7,000-capacity ground that, unsurprisingly, doesn't meet too many of FIFA and UEFA's regulations for continental competition. As a result, they played their 'home' matches in this season's Champions League group stages at Steaua Bucharst's ground instead.

4) Prior to a takeover in 2003, Unirea Urziceni's closest brush with success had been finishing as runners-up in Romania's not very good Third Division. Since then, they've risen rapidly through the ranks, topping that division in 2002-03, winning their first ever promotion to Romania's top tier in 2006.

5) Dan Petrescu took the reigns for their first ever top flight campaign - and didn't he do well? He steered Unirea Urziceni to the 2008-09 UEFA Cup, and went better the following year by winning the Romanian league. Hmm, maybe that Chelsea nickname fits better than we first thought...

6) Few expected Unirea Urziceni to be anything other than whipping boys when they entered the Champions League for the first time in their history earlier this season. How relieved all concerned must have been, then, when they were drawn in the same group as Rangers.

7) They eventually finished third in Group G of the Champions League, winning two, drawing two and losing - yes - two, leaving the Romanians just a single point behind Stuttgart. Remarkably their victories included a 1-0 home win against Seville. Perhaps not so remarkably, they also thrashed Rangers 4-1 at Ibrox.

Rangers got their revenge in the return leg, though. Or rather their fans did: several clashed with police inside the ground and one was captured on film ripping out his seat. Both sides were fined by UEFA for their part in the altercation, so Liverpool fans should be on their best behaviour when they travel to Bucharest on February 25.

8) There aren't too many household names in the Unirea Urziceni squad. Not even if your house is in downtown Urziceni. Frankly, it's a wonder any of their own fans recognise the time when they run out on the pitch. Defender Vasile Maftei and right midfielder Iulian Apostol have a handful of Romanian caps between them and left winger Pablo Brandan once played for the Argentinean Under-20s. That said, Liverpool would do well not to underestimate their opponents - as Seville can surely testify.

9) Petrescu quit the club in December 2009 to take up a post at Russian side Kuban Krasnodar. Unirea Urziceni replaced him with Israeli Ronny Levy, a former defensive midfielder who won 15 caps in the early '90s and led Maccabi Haifa to three consecutive titles as a manager. He started on December 31, 2009 meaning his first game in charge will be the Europa League clash with Liverpool. Talk about a baptism of fire...

10) We couldn't find any decent footage of Unirea Urziceni in action on YouTube, but we turn up this brilliant footage of former Arsenal keeper and all-round loon Jens Lehmann urinating behind his goal during Stuttgart's Champions League game against the Romanians in December 2009. Pepe Reina: you know what to do...