Athletic v Rapid Wien background

Athletic Club's heavy loss at Sassuolo on matchday one could spur them to better things in UEFA Europa League Group F as Rapid Wien seek to avoid another mauling in Spain.

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

• Athletic's record in six matches with Austrian sides is W3 D2 L1 (W1 D1 L1 at home). They have yet to lose (W2 D1) or concede a goal in Austria, but have let in four to Austrian opponents in Bilbao.

• Rapid's record in 13 encounters with Spanish clubs is W3 D2 L8 (W0 D2 L5 in Spain). They have not scored in their last three games in Spain, most recently losing 6-0 at Valencia in last season's UEFA Europa League round of 32 – their heaviest away defeat in UEFA competition.

Form guide
• Athletic's 3-0 reverse at Sassuolo on matchday one was their heaviest European defeat since they were undone by the same scoreline by Atlético Madrid in the 2012 UEFA Europa League final.

• Rapid have yet to concede in two European away fixtures this term (W1 D1).

• Losing finalists in 1977 and 2012, Athletic have made it through four of their previous five UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.

• Rapid got through the UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time in 2015/16 following four unsuccessful attempts.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Vienna to Bilbao is around 1,600km.

• Athletic eliminated Valencia from last season's UEFA Europa League round of 16, after their Spanish rivals had demolished Rapid 10-0 on aggregate in the round of 32.

• Aritz Aduriz – last term's UEFA Europa League top scorer with ten goals – and Fernando Llorente are Athletic's all-time leading marksmen in UEFA competition with 16 goals each.

• Rapid boast Spanish talent in the form of striker Tomi Correa, who represented Tenerife, Logroñés and Teguesta before moving to Austria in 2009.

The coaches
• Ernesto Valverde took charge of Athletic for a second time in June 2013, having led his old club from 2003 to 2005. The former forward later steered Espanyol to the 2007 UEFA Cup final, landed three Greek titles with Olympiacos and coached Villarreal and Valencia.

• Valverde has won 36 UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League games as a coach, leaving him equal seventh in the competition's rankings. He will draw level with the late Sir Bobby Robson in sixth with another victory.

• Rapid's boss Mike Büskens won the 1997 UEFA Cup with Schalke, with whom he spent the bulk of his playing career, later serving on the coaching staff. He then assumed the helm at Greuther Fürth and Fortuna Düsseldorf, before he was hired by Rapid this summer.