Salzburg await big-spending City boys

FC Salzburg won all six of their UEFA Europa League group stage games in 2009/10, but may struggle to repeat that feat after being paired with big-spending Manchester City FC in their Group A opener.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition.

• In Salzburg's only previous tie against English opposition, they were eliminated by Blackburn Rovers FC – led by future City manager Mark Hughes – in the first round of the 2006/07 UEFA Cup, drawing 2-2 in Austria before losing 2-0 in England.

• City are facing Austrian opponents for the first time.

Match background 
• Salzburg are without a win in two UEFA club competition fixtures, having lost 3-2 at home before drawing 1-1 away in their UEFA Champions League play-off defeat by Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC.

• Prior to that loss to Hapoel, they were unbeaten in six European home games – five wins and a draw – since losing 2-1 to another Israeli side, Maccabi Haifa FC, in last season's UEFA Champions League play-offs.

• City have won their last three European games since a 3-1 defeat by Hamburger SV in the first leg of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

• City's 1-0 win at FC Timişoara in the UEFA Europa League play-offs ended a run of four games – three defeats and a draw – without a win away from home in Europe.

Team facts
• Salzburg's coach Huub Stevens, once a defender for SC Fortuna Sittard and PSV Eindhoven, played against City's rivals Manchester United FC with PSV in the second round of the 1984/85 UEFA Cup. The Dutch side lost out to a Gordon Strachan goal in extra time after two goalless games over 90 minutes.

• Capped 18 times by the Netherlands, Stevens' biggest achievements as a coach include winning the 1996/97 UEFA Cup and two German Cups with FC Schalke 04. He won an Austrian title last season in his first campaign as Salzburg boss.

• Stevens' record in six games against English sides as a player reads W1 D1 L4 (W1 D1 L1 at home). In six similar fixtures as a coach, his record is W2 D1 L3 (W2 D0 L1 at home).

• City manager Roberto Mancini spent the bulk of his career as a forward with UC Sampdoria and S.S. Lazio, winning UEFA Cup Winners' Cups with both. Having taken the Italian Cup as a coach with Lazio and ACF Fiorentina, he won three successive Serie A titles – and two more cups – with FC Internazionale Milano. He replaced Mark Hughes as City boss in December 2009.

• Mancini's only game against Austrian opponents as a player was for Lazio in a 1997/98 UEFA Cup third round first leg at SK Rapid Wien; he scored his side's second in a 2-0 win but was sent off two minutes later. As a coach, his record in four games against Austrian opponents is W2 D1 L1 (W1 D1 L0 away from home).