Krasnodar v Nice background

Krasnodar will look to maintain their positive start in UEFA Europa League Group I as they play host to a Nice side who have not won a European away game since December 1959.

Previous meetings
• The teams are meeting for the first time in what is Nice's maiden encounter with Russian opponents.

• Krasnodar's only experience of French opposition came in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage, where they drew 1-1 home and away against LOSC Lille.

Form guide
• Krasnodar are unbeaten in five European matches this season (W4 D1) during which they have conceded just once.

• The Russian outfit progressed to the last 32 in 2015/16 after missing out in their maiden UEFA Europa League group stage foray the year before.

• Nice have technically yet to win in 13 UEFA club competition away games (D4 L9). Their only European victory away from their home stadium came when they beat Fenerbahçe 5-1 in a European Cup first-round replay – staged on neutral territory in Geneva – in December 1959.

• This is Nice's first UEFA group stage campaign.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Nice to Krasnodar is around 2,500km.

• Prior to this term, Mario Balotelli scored five goals in 11 UEFA Europa League appearances, for Manchester City and Liverpool.

• Krasnodar's Burkina Faso international midfielder Charles Kaboré played in France for Libourne-Saint-Seurin and Marseille at the start of his career.

The coaches
• Igor Shalimov stepped in to take temporary command of Krasnodar on 13 September following the resignation of Oleg Kononov. The former USSR, CIS and Russia midfielder, who helped Internazionale win the 1994 UEFA Cup, had been on Kononov's staff, working with the club's strikers.

• Lucien Favre was appointed as Nice boss this summer. Twice a title winner with Zürich in his native Switzerland, he made a positive impression in Germany with Hertha Berlin and Mönchengladbach. He was capped 24 times as a midfielder.