Zulte Waregem v Nice background

• #EQUALGAME
This week, football fans watching UEFA Europa League matches in stadiums, online and on TV will witness the premiere of the new UEFA RESPECT TV ads, called #EqualGame. The adverts feature Ada Hegerberg, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and amateur players and will run throughout the season to promote inclusion, diversity and accessibility in European Football with the motto "Everyone has the right to enjoy football, no matter who you are, where you're from, or how you play." More information on the campaign and on the advertisements can be found in the accompanying media release and on the campaign website: www.equalgame.com.

Zulte Waregem's home form has been disappointing in their most recent European games, but they will look to wipe the slate clean against Nice in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• The teams are meeting for the first time; it is Zulte Waregem's first encounter with French opponents and Nice's first meeting with a Belgian side.

• Belgian clubs are without a win in their last seven home games with French visitors in UEFA competition (D4 L3), since Club Brugge beat Toulouse 1-0 in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Form guide
• Zulte Waregem have won only one of their last nine European home matches (W1 D2 L6).

• Nice are without a win in three UEFA away games, conceding twice in each of them: 2-0, 2-2, 2-0.

• Zulte Waregem claimed their second Belgian Cup in 2016/17; they made it through the UEFA Cup group stage in 2006/07, but could not emulate that success in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League.

• Beaten by Napoli in last month's UEFA Champions League play-offs, Nice made their UEFA Europa League group stage debut last season but failed to reach the round of 32.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Nice to Waregem is around 850km.

• Nice's Vincent Koziello serves a one-match suspension for this game.

• Zulte Waregem's Congolese defender Marvin Baudry was born in France and played in the French league for Amiens (2011–15).

• Forward Aaron Leya Iseka played eight games in Ligue 1 last term, on loan from Anderlecht to Marseille, while midfielder Nill de Pauw plied his trade with Guingamp from 2015–17.

• Nice defender Arnaud Souquet spent the 2012/13 campaign in Belgium, on loan at Mouscron from LOSC Lille.

• Nice's Brazilian defender Dante played in Belgium with Charleroi (2006–07) and Standard Liège (2007–09).

 The coaches
• Francky Dury's second coming as Zulte Waregem coach began in 2012, and he led them to a second Belgian Cup success last season. Zultse and – post-merger – Zulte Waregem boss from 1994–2010, he occupied the Gent and Belgium Under-21 helms prior to his return.

• Former Switzerland midfielder Lucien Favre has been in charge at Nice since May 2016. He made his name as a coach by winning back-to-back Swiss titles with Zürich, and subsequently enhanced his reputation with spells at Hertha Berlin and Mönchengladbach in Germany.