Salzburg look to streak clear in Group G

Top meets bottom in UEFA Europa League Group G, as FC Salzburg – winners in their opening two games – host Bulgarian champions PFC Levski Sofia, who have yet to get off the mark in the section.

Previous meetings
• This is the clubs' first meeting. Salzburg have never come up against a Bulgarian side before, but Levski have been to Austria twice, losing at both FK Austria Wien and SK Sturm Graz without scoring a goal.

Match background
• Salzburg are one of five sides who have won both of their opening UEFA Europa League group-stage games along with Sporting Clube de Portugal, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Everton FC and Werder Bremen.

• Levski – like SK Slavia Praha, FC BATE Borisov and FK Partizan – have yet to register a point after two group-stage outings.

• Prior to their 2-0 Matchday 2 victory against Villarreal CF, Salzburg had gone five games without a European home win.

• Levski have not scored in three European away games since sweeping aside UE Sant Julià 5-0 in this season's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.

Team facts
• Salzburg are coached by former Netherlands defender Huub Stevens, who won the UEFA Cup as FC Schalke 04 coach in 1997. Salzburg are the third club in as many seasons for Stevens, who spent the last two campaigns in charge of Hamburger SV and then PSV Eindhoven.

• Stevens' Hamburg side eliminated Bulgarian opposition in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round, beating PFC Litex Lovech 1-0 away and 3-1 at home. He also won his 18th and final cap as a second-half substitute in the Netherlands' 1-0 friendly win against Bulgaria on 4 September 1985.

• This is Levski's first game since the resignation of Serbian coach Ratko Dostanić in the wake of a 1-0 defeat at home against PFC Beroe Stara Zagora at the weekend that left the Bulgarian champions lying ninth in the 16-team Bulgarian top division. Sporting director Georgi Ivanov is now overseeing first-team affairs with Antoni Zdravkov working as coach.

• Known as 'Gonzo' by the club's fans, the 33-year-old Ivanov won five league titles in three spells as a player at Levski, and is yet to abandon hope of a comeback on the pitch, though he took over as sporting director in the summer. Schooled at his hometown club PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv, the 33-times capped international also played for Stade Rennais FC, Samsunspor, Gaziantepspor and HNK Rijeka.

• Levski need two more goals to reach 250 in UEFA club competition, with this their 173rd continental fixture.

• Salzburg's Franz Schiemer committed more fouls in the opening two UEFA Europa League group-stage games than any other player, being pulled up by the referee on 13 occasions.

• Levski take their name from Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski.

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