Hapoel hungry for Rapid result

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC will look to propel themselves into the qualifying places in Group C as they seek a second successive UEFA Europa League home victory, with section leaders SK Rapid Wien their guests at Bloomfield Stadium.

Previous meetings
• This is the two teams' first meeting. Hapoel have lost both of their European home games against Austrian sides – though the most recent was played on neutral territory in Sofia – while Rapid earned a 1-1 draw against Hapoel Petach-Tikva FC in their only match in Israel.

Match background
• Tel-Aviv have not lost a European home game at Bloomfield Stadium this season, recording a 2-1 win against Celtic FC following two 1-1 draws in the qualifying rounds.

• Rapid have earned a victory, two draws and a defeat in their four European away fixtures this season, scoring at least once in every outing.

Team facts
• Tel-Aviv coach Eli Gutman is nicknamed 'The German' because of his reputation as a disciplinarian. He made his name by winning the 1996/97 State Cup with Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC and then the Israeli title with Hapoel Haifa FC in 1998/99.

• Rapid coach Peter Pacult was a prolific scorer for his current club, FC Tirol Innsbruck and TSV 1860 München during a playing career that also brought him 24 caps for Austria. He has been Rapid coach since 2006, rejoining the club following spells in charge of 1860, FC Kärnten and 1. FC Dynamo Dresden.

• Bloomfield Stadium – named in honour of the Canadian family who helped finance its construction – is home to all three of the big clubs in Tel Aviv: Hapoel, Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC and Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC.

• Founded in the 1920s, Tel-Aviv's links to the Histadrut trade union and the hammer and sickle on their club badge earned them a reputation as a club with left-wing leanings.

• Rapid were founded in 1898 as Erster Wiener Arbeiter-Fussball-Club (First Workers' Football Club of Vienna), taking on their current name the following year.

• Tel-Aviv's Serbian midfielder Nemanja Vučićević and Rapid's German captain Steffen Hofmann were team-mates at TSV 1860 München for part of the 2005/06 season.

• The two sides meet again in Vienna on 5 November for Matchday 4.