Karpaty eye a change of fortune against Sevilla

FC Karpaty Lviv have lost their first two games in UEFA Europa League Group J and will be eager to break that pattern as Sevilla FC visit Ukraine for a second time on Matchday 3.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition, and this is also Karpaty's maiden experience of Spanish opposition.

• Sevilla met FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16 en route to winning the 2006/07 UEFA Cup. In their only previous tie against a Ukrainian side, they drew 2-2 at home but won 3-2 in Donetsk after extra time.

• In that latter game, Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop headed in from a corner deep into added time to make it 2-2 and force an extra half hour. Ernesto Chevantón scored the Spanish side's winner.

Match background
• Karpaty have lost both of their Group J games to date, and are without a win in their last two European home fixtures.

• Karpaty will set a new club record against Sevilla; this will be the latest date in any calendar year that they have played a UEFA club competition game. Their 2-0 Matchday 2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain FC came on the 40th anniversary of their previous latest date, a 3-3 draw at FC Steaua Bucureşti on 30 September 1970.

• Sevilla have won three of their last six European away games, culminating in a 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 2.

Team facts
• Sevilla are three goals shy of 100 conceded in UEFA club competition. This will be their 97th UEFA game. Should they keep a clean sheet in Lviv, they will have conceded an average of exactly one goal a game in European club competition.

• Karpaty are the most inexperienced side in the UEFA Europa League group stage; this is only their 11th game in the competition, and their 15th in Europe.

• Born in Kursk, Russia, but Belarusian by nationality, Karpaty coach Oleg Kononov started his playing career with FC Iskra Smolensk before spending most of his career in Belarus, winning the nation's Player of the Year award in 1998, during his time at FC Torpedo Minsk. He took over at Karpaty in 2008 following a spell as assistant coach at FC Sheriff in Moldova.

• Gregorio Manzano replaced Antonio Álvarez as Sevilla coach before the Matchday 2 win at Dortmund. A head coach since his mid-20s, he first took charge of a top division game with Real Valladolid in 1999/2000. He won the 2002/03 Spanish Cup in his first spell with RCD Mallorca, rejoining the club in 2006 for a four-year stint before leaving in May 2010.