Club Brugge look to sweep past Maribor

Currently part of a three-way tie for top spot, Club Brugge KV travel Group H back markers NK Maribor, hoping that a win will complete their passage through to the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

Previous meetings
• Club Brugge were comfortable 2-0 winners when the sides first met on matchday one. Vadis Odjidja put the hosts ahead on seven minutes with a fine near-post finish after skilfully turning his marker. Nabil Dirar then made it 2-0 on 24 minutes.

• Maribor took on Belgian opponents in the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, winning 5-1 against KRC Genk in Slovenia and progressing despite a 3-0 loss in Belgium.

• Club Brugge won their only previous games against Slovenian opponents comfortably, beating ND Gorica 5-3 away and 3-0 at home in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup second qualifying round.

Match background
• Maribor are now without a win in five European games since a 2-1 victory at home against Rangers FC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off. However, they have lost only one of their last eight continental fixtures at Ljudski vrt (2-1 against Birmingham City FC on matchday two), winning five of the other games in that run and drawing two.

• Club Brugge have won only one of their last seven European away fixtures (2-1 at SC Braga on matchday two) but four of those games ended in draws. Moreover, they have scored seven times in their last three ties on the road.

Team facts
• Club Brugge striker Björn Vleminckx celebrates his 26th birthday the day after this game.

• Club Brugge's Joseph Akpala has had ten shots on goal; more than any other player in the group stage.

• The two teams have a player in common; Nastja Čeh left Maribor for Club Brugge in 2001. He won two titles with both clubs. The midfielder left Belgium to join FK Austria Wien in 2005 and now plies his trade at Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC.

• Maribor boss Darko Milanič started his career as a defender with FK Partizan (1986-93), moving on to SK Sturm Graz (1993-2000) and representing both Yugoslavia and Slovenia internationally. Hired to coach Maribor in 2008, he has now won two league titles and one Slovenian Cup.

• Club Brugge coach Adrie Koster was dismissed on 30 October after a run of four straight defeats in all competitions. The Dutchman had been in charge since April 2009. The 56-year-old's assistant Rudi Verkempinck and reserve-team coach Philippe Clement were put in temporary charge.

• Christoph Daum was named as Club Brugge's new boss on 9 November. The German has won domestic titles with VfB Stuttgart, Beşiktaş JK, FK Austria Wien and Fenerbahçe SK and had been out of work since leaving Eintracht Frankfurt in May 2011, having been unable to stave off relegation.

• Daum took on Maribor as Bayer 04 Leverkusen coach in the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League group stage; his side drew 0-0 at home but won 2-0 in Slovenia.