Sturm hoping for change in fortunes against Lokomotiv

SK Sturm Graz will look to accomplish what their neighbours Grazer AK failed to do and beat FC Lokomotiv Moskva at home as the sides meet in their opening UEFA Europa League Group L game.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in Europe.

• Sturm have played four games against Russian sides; two each against Lokomotiv's capital rivals PFC CSKA Moskva and FC Spartak Moskva. Sturm's record in those fixtures is W1 D1 L2 (W1 D0 L1 at home).

• Sturm coach Franco Foda was an unused substitute for the club in one of those games, a 2-0 defeat at home by Spartak in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League.

• Lokomotiv's seven games against Austrian opponents – all of them in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round – ended W3 D2 L2 (W2 D1 L1 in Austria). One of those ties, against FC Wacker Innsbruck in 2001, was played over three matches, after the Austrian leg was replayed.

• Lokomotiv's most recent win in Austria came at the Stadion Graz Liebenau, where they beat Sturm's neighbours Grazer AK 2-0 in the first leg of a 2002/03 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie. They drew the return fixture 3-3 in Moscow.

Match background
• A 1-0 victory at home against FC Zestafoni in this season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round is Sturm's only success in their last five European games.

• Sturm's three previous UEFA Europa League group stage home games ended in a win and two defeats.

• Three of Lokomotiv's last four European games have ended in 1-1 draws, with the exception being a 2-0 triumph at home against FC Spartak Trnava in this season's UEFA Europa League play-offs.

• Three of their last four away games in Europe have also ended 1-1, with a 2-0 loss at Panathinaikos FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage breaking that run.

• Lokomotiv's four previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage away games ended W1 D2 L1.

Team facts
• Sturm's Bosnian midfielder Samir Muratović played in Russia with FC Saturn Ramenskoye Oblast from 2001 to 2003 prior to joining Sturm's local rivals Grazer AK. He could be up against his one-time international team-mate Senijad Ibričić, a midfielder for Lokomotiv.

• German defender Foda finished his playing career at Sturm following spells with the likes of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart. He joined the club's coaching staff after hanging up his boots, and following a brief first stint in charge in 2003, has been first-team boss since 2006.

• Lokomotiv coach José Couceiro was caretaker coach at Sporting Clube de Portugal for the latter part of the 2010/11 season before replacing Yuri Krasnozhan as Lokomotiv boss in July. Since coaching Portugal's Under-21s from 2006 to 2007, he has been in charge at FBK Kaunas, Lithuania and Gaziantepspor.