Club Brugge seek to breach Newcastle

Club Brugge KV will look to be the first side to breach Newcastle United FC's defences in UEFA Europa League Group D as the sides rendezvous in Belgium.

• Newcastle beat Club Brugge 1-0 at home on matchday three. After a quiet first half, Gabriel Obertan struck in style three minutes into the second period to stretch Newcastle's unbeaten run on Tyneside to 24 UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League matches.

Previous meetings
• The teams met for the first time in UEFA competition on matchday three.

• Newcastle's record in seven games against Belgian teams is an unequivocal W7 D0 L0 (W4 D0 L0 at home – W3 D0 L0 away). However, while they scored 14 goals in the first three of those matches, they have registered a relatively modest six in the most recent four.

• Club Brugge's 19 fixtures against English clubs have ended W6 D3 L10 (W6 D1 L1 at home - W0 D2 L9 in England). Those results include defeats by Liverpool FC in the finals of the 1976 UEFA Cup and 1978 European Champion Clubs' Cup.

Match background
• Club Brugge have won their last two European home fixtures since a 3-2 defeat by FC København led to them parachuting down from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round to the UEFA Europa League play-offs.

• Newcastle are unbeaten in five European games this season and have not conceded a goal in their last four UEFA Europa League encounters since a 1-1 draw with Atromitos FC in the play-offs.

• The last side to beat Newcastle at home in this competition was AS Monaco FC in the 1996/97 quarter-finals. They are now unbeaten in 24 UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League home games (W19 D5).

Team facts
• The next goal Newcastle concede will be the 100th to have gone past them in UEFA competition – this is their 102nd official European game.

• Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Newcastle are the only sides who have yet to concede in this season's group stage.

• Newcastle defender Mike Williamson turns 29 on the day of the game. He has never played in a UEFA game on his birthday before.

• Newcastle defender Danny Simpson played on loan in Belgium with Royal Antwerp FC, while striker Demba Ba spent a season with R. Excelsior Mouscron. Midfielder Cheick Tioté was at RSC Anderlecht from 2005-08, though he spent his final campaign with the club out on loan at Roda JC.

• Club Brugge midfielder Jonathan Blondel (Tottenham Hotspur FC) and defenders Carl Hoefkens (Stoke City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC) and Ryan Donk (West Bromwich Albion FC) have all played in England.

• Club Brugge forward Mohamed Tchite played with Newcastle's Xisco at Real Racing Club in 2009/10.

• Donk featured for AZ Alkmaar as they won 2-0 at home to eliminate Newcastle on away goals in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 32.

• Bart Buysse has also faced Newcastle before, with the Club Brugge defender’s SV Zulte Waregem side losing 1-0 at St James' Park in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 32.

• Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was the 2011/12 Premier League manager of the year, having established himself at Reading FC, West Ham United FC, Charlton Athletic FC and Southampton FC prior to a move to Tyneside in 2010. A glazier and taxi driver while playing non-league football, the midfielder was in his mid-20s when he became a professional, playing for Crystal Palace FC and Charlton among others.

• Club Brugge dismissed coach Georges Leekens in the run-up to matchday four, with reserve team boss Philippe Clement taking temporary command in his place.

• Capped 38 times by Belgium, former defender Clement played in England in 1998/99 for Coventry City FC.