Zorya v Manchester United background

Manchester United are looking to extend their European campaign into the spring, with UEFA group stage debutants Zorya hoping to bow out on a high.

• United will be through with a draw regardless of the result between Feyenoord and Fenerbahçe in the other Group A fixture. United would also go through with a defeat if Feyenoord fail to win. Zorya will finish fourth.

Previous meetings
• In Zorya's maiden encounter with English opposition, they lost 1-0 at United on matchday two, Zlatan Ibrahimović scoring the only goal.

• United are unbeaten in seven matches involving Ukrainian teams (W5 D2 – W1 D2 in Ukraine).

Form guide
• Zorya's 2-0 reverse at Fenerbahçe on matchday five was the heaviest defeat of their six losses, home and away, in UEFA competition.

• This is Zorya's UEFA group stage debut.

• This is United's first UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League group stage campaign. The UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League is the only major European trophy United have never won.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Manchester to Luhansk is around 2,900km, though Zorya's European base in Odessa is a tad closer – around 2,500km away.

• Wayne Rooney's strike against Feyenoord on matchday five moved him clear of Ruud van Nistelrooy as United's all-time top scorer in UEFA competitions with 39 goals.

• Ibrahimović has scored once in Group A but has had more shots blocked than any other player in this season's tournament – seven.

• The older brother of United's Paul Pogba, Florentin Pogba, is also featuring in this group stage with St-Étienne, who are already through to the round of 32.

The coaches
• 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 term.

• Vernydub's son Vitaliy is also playing in this group phase with Azerbaijani side Gabala – who are also to be eliminated from the competition after matchday six.

• 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 as well as three Premier League titles during two stints at Chelsea.

• In Mourinho's last foray in this competition, he guided Porto to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they edged Celtic 3-2 in Seville. He has accumulated 125 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup fixtures since then.

Chapecoense commemoration
Teams taking part in all of the matchday six UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League fixtures will observe a minute's silence to pay respect to the victims of last week's air disaster involving the Chapecoense team and accompanying delegation.

The Brazilian club lost most of their players and coaching staff in the accident, which occurred in Colombia, where Chapecoense were due to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional.

"European football is united in expressing its deepest sympathy to Chapecoense, the Brazilian Football Confederation [CBF], CONMEBOL and the families of all the victims," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. "This tragedy has shaken the world of football, and we would like to send our support to all of those affected by it."