Rapid Wien v Sassuolo background

The statistics suggest that the odds are stacked against Rapid Wien as they welcome Sassuolo in UEFA Europa League Group F, in what is the Austrians' 20th competitive meeting with Italian opponents.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition, and this is Sassuolo's first encounter with Austrian opposition.

• Rapid's record in those 19 previous matches with Italian sides is W2 D3 L14 (W2 D2 L5 in Vienna). They have lost the last five of those games, a run stretching back 20 years to a 1-1 UEFA Champions League group stage home draw with Juventus in October 1996.

Form guide
• Rapid have won two of their three European home fixtures this season.

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

• Sassuolo lost for the first time in Europe on matchday two, their 3-1 reversal at Genk ending a five-match unbeaten streak (W3 D2). They have scored once in each of their European away games to date, but have yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels in UEFA competition.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Sassuolo to Vienna is around 600km.

• Sassuolo and Konyaspor are the only clubs in the 2016/17 group stage who are in their debut European seasons.

The coaches
• Rapid 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 took the helm at Greuther Fürth and Fortuna Düsseldorf, before being hired by Rapid this summer.

• Eusebio Di Francesco's career high as a player was winning the Scudetto with Roma in 2000/01. The 12-times capped midfielder has since worked wonders at Sassuolo, steering an attack-minded side from Serie B into Europe.