Basel size up Salzburg challenge

FC Basel 1893 got the better of Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC last time out, but have a bigger task in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 as in-form FC Salzburg make the 400km journey west to Switzerland.

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

• Basel's four European games against Austrian clubs have ended W3 D0 L1 (W1 D0 L1 at home). They have won their last three games against Austrian clubs since a 3-1 loss at home to SSW Innsbruck (now FC Wacker Innsbruck) in September 1977.

• Salzburg have played four games against Swiss clubs in UEFA competition with the record W2 D0 L2 (W0 D0 L2 in Switzerland). They have made it through both of their previous two-legged ties against Swiss opponents without the need for extra time, away goals or penalties.

• Swiss clubs have the better record in 24 UEFA fixtures against Austrian opponents, boasting the record W10 D8 L6 (W7 D3 L2 at home – W3 D5 L4 in Austria). The Swiss sides are unbeaten in their last nine home games against Austrian opponents (W6 D3), a run which stretches back to FC Admira Wacker's 1-0 UEFA Cup win at FC Luzern in October 1990.

Match background
• Basel missed out on a UEFA Champions League round of 16 place following a 2-0 loss at FC Schalke 04 on matchday six, moving into the UEFA Europa League where they ousted Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-0 over two legs in the round of 32.

• Basel reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League last term – their best performance in a major UEFA competition, though they played in one of the finals of the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

• Salzburg set a new UEFA Europa League record with their home win over AFC Ajax last time out as they became the only team to win their first eight matches – all six in the group stage plus both legs in the round of 32.

• Salzburg are one of six qualifiers from the group stage who remain unbeaten after eight games, the others being PFC Ludogorets Razgrad, ACF Fiorentina, Sevilla FC, Olympique Lyonnais and AZ Alkmaar.

Team facts
• Salzburg are the highest scoring side in the competition this season with 21 goals – three more than Tottenham Hotspur FC. They have also had the most shots on (60) and off target (54) in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League.

• Salzburg goalkeeper Pétér Gulácsi is one of only four players left in the competition who have featured in all 720 minutes of their sides' campaign since the start of the group stage. The others are AZ midfielder Nemanja Gudelj, Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas and Ludogorets right-back Júnior Caiçara.

• Salzburg's Jonatan Soriano is the top scorer in this season's UEFA Europa League with seven goals, averaging one every 57 minutes.

• Team-mates Kevin Kampl and Alan have the most assists of any players left in the competition (four each), and Alan has also had the most attempts on target (13) and the second most off target (11) of any player left in the competition.

• Salzburg's Sadio Mané has been caught offside more often than any other player in this season's competiton (12 times) and is also the most fouled player left in the competition, drawing 24 illegal challenges. Mané scored the UEFA Europa League's 2,500th goal as he rounded off the scoring in a 3-0 home win against Esbjerg fB on matchday six.

• Salzburg boast Swiss talent in the form of midfielder Christian Schwegler, who played for FC Luzern and BSC Young Boys before moving to Austria in 2009.

• Basel are among five domestic champions in the round of 16 along with Juventus (Italy), Ludogorets (Bulgaria), FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) and FC Porto (Portugal).

• Salzburg and Tottenham came through this season's group stage with 100% records. Only three other sides have won all six of their group matches since the advent of the UEFA Europa League: Salzburg (2009/10), FC Zenit (2010/11) and RSC Anderlecht (2011/12).

Coach information
• Capped 49 times as a central defender by Switzerland, coach Murat Yakin was born in Basel but started his playing career with Grasshopper Club. He played for VfB Stuttgart and Fenerbahçe SK, but finished his career at Basel – where his brother Hakan Yakin also played. He got his first senior coaching appointment in 2009, leading FC Thun and later FC Luzern before taking charge of Basel and leading them to the 2012/13 Swiss title – his sixth in total following five triumphs as a player.

• Salzburg coach Roger Schmidt agreed a two-year contract extension in December, binding him to the club until 2016. A lower-league midfielder in his native Germany, he combined football with work as an apprentice toolmaker before studying mechanical engineering. He moved into coaching with Delbrücker SC, SC Preussen Münster and SC Paderborn 07 before signing for Salzburg in 2012.