Big spending PSG set to prove class

Paris Saint-Germain FC caught the eye in the summer with a major transfer spree and they will look to prove their class as they meet FC Salzburg in their opening UEFA Europa League Group F fixture.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in Europe and this is also Salzburg's maiden encounter with French opponents.

• PSG first tackled Austrian opposition in the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in Brussels, where Bruno N'Gotty's free-kick bagged Luis Fernandez's side their only major UEFA honour to date in a 1-0 win against Ernst Dokupil's SK Rapid Wien.

• With Fernandez back for a second spell, PSG met Rapid again in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup second round, eliminating Lothar Matthäus's side comfortably. Thus they have yet to lose against Austrian opposition, and their only home tie against an Austrian side ended in a 4-0 win.

Match background
• PSG are unbeaten in 16 UEFA home games (nine wins, seven draws) since a 4-2 defeat by Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage.

• Salzburg did not win in six UEFA competition away games in 2010/11 but have already improved on that record this time around, recording two wins by three-goal margins in qualifying before losing 2-1 at AC Omonia in the play-offs, with that strike helping them to win the tie on away goals.

Team facts
• Salzburg's Alan was one of two players to score six goals in qualifying, along with Ladislav Tomaček of FC Spartak Trnava. The only player to register more also plays for an Austrian club; FK Austria Wien's Dutch attacker Nacer Barazite got eight.

• PSG played in Austria this summer, recording victories against AS Roma and host side FC Wacker Innsbruck during a friendly tournament in Innsbruck.

• PSG coach since 2009, Antoine Kombouaré was a defender for FC Nantes, PSG, FC Sion and Aberdeen FC before returning to Paris to lead PSG's reserves. He got the top job at the Parc des Princes following spells at RC Strasbourg (2003–04) and Valenciennes FC (2005–09).

• Dutchman Ricardo Moniz is now in charge at Salzburg, having stepped up from a role as skills coach to replace Huub Stevens, following his countryman's dismissal in April. Moniz's only previous front-line coaching experience came in a caretaker role at Hamburger SV, but he has worked as a specialist trainer at Feyenoord, Grasshopper-Club, PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur FC.