Hearts hope to avoid third successive defeat

Both clubs enter the third matchday of the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group stage searching for their first win in Group A.

Creditable draw
FC Basel 1893 earned a creditable 1-1 draw in their opening match at FC Schalke 04, and, after being exempt in the last round of games, now play Heart of Midlothian FC, who have lost both their opening group games.

Celtic avoided
Basel have met Scottish opposition in UEFA club competitions on four previous occasions, but this will be the first time they have met a Scottish club other than Celtic FC. Their rivalry goes back to the 1963/64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round, when Celtic convincingly won 5-1 at Basel, and 5-0 at home. However, in the first round of the 1969/70 European Champion Clubs’ Cup, Basel reduced the margin of defeat to a 0-0 home draw and a 2-0 loss at Glasgow. Four years later, and in the same competition, Basel recorded their first win against Celtic with a 3-2 home success, thanks to a double from former FC Bayern München coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, and Celtic were taken to extra time in the return leg before triumphing by 4-2 and 6-5 on aggregate.

Scots stunned
The cycle had turned full circle by 2002/03 when Basel knocked Celtic out of the UEFA Champions League at the third qualifying round stage. An early Christian Giménez goal at Glasgow was later to give the Swiss club success, for, although Celtic won that game 3-1, Basel kept a clean sheet in the return leg, winning 2-0 and advancing on away goals to the group stage proper.

Fairs Cup meeting
Although Hearts have never met Swiss opposition in UEFA club competitions, they did meet Lausanne-Sports in the 1963/64 Inter-Cities' Fairs Cup. After two 2-2 draws, Lausanne won the replay 3-2 on home soil.