Man. United v Zorya background

Manchester United's first UEFA Europa League Group A home game looks like a formality on paper, but Zorya's stirring scoring record on the road might give José Mourinho food for thought.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in what will be Zorya's maiden encounter with English opposition.

• United are unbeaten in six matches involving Ukrainian teams (W4 D2) and have won all three of their previous Old Trafford fixtures against Zorya's compatriots without conceding a single goal.

Form guide
• United are unbeaten in 11 European home games (W8 D3) since a 2-1 UEFA Champions League round of 16 loss to Real Madrid in March 2013. By contrast, they have won only once in their last six UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League fixtures at Old Trafford (W1 D3 L2).

• This is United's first UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League group stage campaign.

• The UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League is the one major European trophy United have never won.

• This is Zorya's debut UEFA group stage campaign.

• Zorya's seven European away matches to date have ended W4 D1 L2, and they have failed just once to score on the road in a UEFA competition, averaging a little under two goals a game on their travels.

Links and trivia
• Luhansk lies around 2,900km from Manchester, though the club's European base in Odesa is a tad closer – around 2,500km away.

• This is Zlatan Ibrahimović's first season in this competition since 2001/02, when he was on the books at Ajax. Following the shut-out against Feyenoord on matchday one, he has scored twice in five UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League appearances.

• Wayne Rooney needs one more goal to join Ruud van Nistelrooy as United's all-time top marksman in UEFA competitions with 37 goals.

• United goalkeeper David de Gea can make his 50th UEFA club competition outing in this game.

• The older brother of Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Florentin Pogba is also featuring in this season's group stage with St-Étienne.

The coaches
• José Mourinho took over as United boss this summer. Having made his name winning the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League with Porto, he lifted Europe's top club prize again with Internazionale Milano and three Premier League titles in two stints at Chelsea.

• Mourinho's last campaign in this competition was 2002/03, his Porto side edging Celtic 3-2 in the UEFA Cup final in Seville.

• Yuriy Vernydub has been in charge at Zorya since stepping up from his role as assistant coach in November 2011. A Russian Cup winner with Zenit in 1999, towards the end of his playing career, he steered Zorya to a fourth-placed finish in Ukraine last season.

• Vernydub's son Vitaliy is playing in this season's group stage for Gabala.