Rio Ave v Steaua background

Rio Ave FC will look to get their first points on the board in UEFA Europa League Group J as they take on FC Steaua Bucureşti, who beat them 2-1 in Romania last time out.

Form guide
• Steaua and Villarreal CF are the top scorers in this season's group stage with nine goals apiece.

• European debutants Rio Ave have scored just once in their three UEFA home games to date.

• Steaua are without a win in five UEFA group stage away games (D2 L3) since a 2-1 victory at Molde FK on matchday four of the 2012/13 group stage.

Trivia and links
• Rio Ave's Brazilian right-back Lionn played in Romania with CFR 1907 Cluj.

• Steaua's Raul Rusescu tops the group stage goalscoring charts with five goals. Rusescu and BSC Young Boys' Guillaume Hoarau are the only players to have registered on all three matchdays in this season's group stage. Rusescu played in Portugal last season for SC Braga.

• Steaua's Cape Verde international defender Fernando Varela was born in Portugal – Cascais – and played for Estoril Praia, CD Trofense and CD Feirense before moving to Romania.

• Rio Ave's Belarusian midfielder Renan Bressan has scored 12 goals in UEFA club competition – twice as many as the rest of his club-mates' combined total of six.

The coaches
• As a defensive midfielder, Rio Ave coach Pedro Martins' career peaked during a three-year spell at Sporting – during which he earned, in 1997, his only cap for Portugal. As a coach, he worked his way up the leagues, joining Rio Ave in 2014 after a four-year stint at CS Marítimo.

• Steaua coach Constantin Gâlcă was capped 68 times as a midfielder and played in Spain with RCD Mallorca, RCD Espanyol and Villarreal CF among others after making his name at Steaua. He took charge of his old club in June 2014 following a spell working as Romania's Under-17 coach.