Plzeň v Austria Wien background

Victory at Viktoria Plzeň is essential for Austria Wien as they look to pip Astra to Group E's second qualifying place.

• With Roma (11 points) having already won the section, Astra (seven points) and Austria (five) are bidding to join them in the round of 32. Austria are through if they win in Czech Republic and Astra fail to win at home to Roma; Austria have an away goals head-to-head advantage over Astra should the pair finish level on points.

• Plzeň are out having collected three points so far, although they will come third if they beat Austria.

Previous meetings
• The sides drew 0-0 when they met for the first time in Austria on matchday two.

• Plzeň's record from three fixtures against Austrian teams is W0 D1 L2 – they lost to Rapid Wien twice in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage; Austria Wien's record in four encounters with Czech clubs reads W1 D2 L1 (they drew their only previous match in Czech Republic 1-1).

Form guide
• Plzeň are without a win in their last ten group stage games (D4 L6).

• Austria are unbeaten away from home in Europe this term (W4 D1), scoring 13 goals in the course of those five fixtures (compared with six in their six home matches).

• Following their elimination this time, Plzeň have made it through one of their three UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns, progressing as far as the round of 16 in 2012/13.

• Austria have failed to qualify from their last four UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns since reaching the last eight in 2004/05.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Vienna to Plzen is around 280km.

• Austria boast Czech talent in the form of 21-year-old defender Patrizio Stronati, who was born to a Czech father and Italian mother in Italy.

• Plzeň's Martin Zeman (Admira Wacker 2011–12) has played club football in Austria.

The coaches
• Roman Pivarník took charge at Plzeň this summer following a two-year stint with Prague side Bohemians. This is his first continental foray as a coach, though he notably helped Rapid Wien make the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final as a midfielder in 1996.

• A four-time Bundesliga winner as a Bayern München midfielder, Thorsten Fink has occupied the Austria Wien helm since 2015. Twice a league champion in Switzerland as Basel coach between 2009 and 2011, he subsequently held the reins at Hamburg and APOEL.

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."