Sharpshooters set for Basel showdown

With 20 goals apiece in qualifying, FC Basel 1893 and AS Roma have both given themselves cause for confidence as they meet for a second time in Europe in their opening UEFA Europa League Group E fixture.

Previous meetings

• Roma beat Basel 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

• The teams for that game were:-
Roma: Curci, Panucci (Chivu, 41), Bovo, Mexès, Aquilani, Totti, Taddei, De Rossi, Perrotta (Rosi, 74), Leandro Cufré, Nonda (Faioli, 84).
Basel: Zuberbühler, Chipperfield (Sterjovski, 65), Malick Ba (Petrić, 46), Müller, Matías Delgado, Degen, Ergić (Kulaksizoglu, 72), Eduardo, Smiljanić, Zanni, Rossi.

Match background

• Roma reached the round of 16 following their only UEFA Cup group stage appearance in 2005/06. Basel competed in four consecutive group phases from 2004/05 to 2007/08, missing the cut only once – in 2006/07.

• Basel are unbeaten in six European games this season – five wins and a draw – having recorded a six-game run without a win in last term's UEFA Champions League group stage.

• The Swiss side scored 20 goals in six games en route to the group stage, with four apiece for Marco Streller and Federico Almerares and three for Alexander Frei.

• Roma have been even more prolific, their 20 goals coming in just four games. Jérémy Menez contributed three but captain Francesco Totti outshone everyone with ten, including hat-tricks in the 7-1 wins over both KAA Gent and MFK Košice.

Team facts

• Despite great results in Europe, Luciano Spalletti quit as Roma coach after starting the Serie A season with back-to-back defeats and Claudio Ranieri was installed as his successor. The 57-year-old started his playing career as a defender at Roma – his hometown club – but earned his reputation as a coach with ACF Fiorentina, Valencia CF, Chelsea FC and Juventus, among others.

• Basel also changed coach this summer, with Christian Gross leaving after nine seasons to be replaced by former FC Bayern München midfielder Thorsten Fink.

• Fink took on Roma with Karlsruher SC in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup second round, scoring twice as his side won 3-0 in Germany. It was the only time he scored more than once in a UEFA club competition game.

• Roma's Romanian defender Adrian Piţ has experience of Swiss football from his time at AC Bellinzona from 2003-07.

• Roma captain Totti made his UEFA club competition debut against another Swiss club, Neuchâtel Xamax FC, in a UEFA Cup game on 12 September 1995.

• Roma are at home against PFC CSKA Sofia on Matchday 2, with Basel visiting Fulham FC on the same night, 1 October.