Mainz v Anderlecht background

The top two in UEFA Europa League Group C face off on matchday three, group stage debutants Mainz taking on perhaps their toughest opponents yet in seasoned campaigners Anderlecht.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition, and it is Mainz's first competitive fixture against Belgian opponents.

• Anderlecht's record in 33 encounters with German clubs is W12 D4 L17 (W4 D1 L11 in Germany).

Form guide
• Mainz are making their UEFA Europa League group stage debut, and have claimed four points from their opening two games.

• The only team to beat Mainz in six UEFA home matches to date (W3 D2 L1) were eventual winners Sevilla, in the first round of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup.

• Anderlecht are unbeaten in four UEFA Europa League outings this season (W3 D1), as well as their last four UEFA Europa League group stage fixtures (W3 L1).

• Anderlecht have made it through all five previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Brussels to Mainz is around 300km.

• Mainz defender André and Anderlecht winger Massimo Bruno were team-mates at Salzburg from 2014–15.

The coaches
• Martin Schmidt guided Mainz to an impressive sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga last season, his first in command of the senior team. A lower-league player in his native Switzerland, he managed Mainz's reserves from 2010–15.

• Capped once by Switzerland, René Weiler is in his first term as Anderlecht coach having spent his first two years of coaching abroad with Nürnberg in Germany from 2014–16. The one-time defender had established his coaching reputation in his home country with Schaffhausen and Aarau.