Qarabağ v Liberec background

Qarabağ will hope for better versus Slovan Liberec in their UEFA Europa League Group J opener after experiencing disappointment against another Czech side in July.

Previous meetings
• This is the teams' first meeting in UEFA competition and Liberec's maiden encounter with an Azerbaijani club.

• Qarabağ lost to Liberec's Czech rivals Viktoria Plzeň on away goals after two draws in this season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Overall, their record against Czech opposition is W0 D2 L2 (D1 L1 at home).

Form guide
• Qarabağ are featuring in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the third season in succession but have yet to make it to the round of 32.

• Qarabağ are unbeaten in three European home games this term (W2 D1).

• Liberec won all four of their qualifying games to make it to this season's group stage.

• Liberec have qualified in only one of their three previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group campaigns.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Liberec to Qarabağ's Baku home is around 2,900km.

The coaches
• Qarabağ coach Gurban Gurbanov is Azerbaijan's highest-scoring international with 12 goals in 62 matches and played in Russia and Ukraine as well as Azerbaijan. Coach since 2008, he has led Qarabağ to domestic championships in the last three campaigns.

• Jindřich Trpišovský took control at Liberec in June 2015. The coach models himself on Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp. Once a youth coach at Sparta Praha, he previously led second-division Viktoria Žižkov, impressing despite the club's financial problems.