Skënderbeu v Young Boys background

Skënderbeu lost in Kyiv on matchday one but will take courage from Young Boys' shaky away form as they welcome the Swiss club in UEFA Europa League Group B.

Previous meetings
• The two clubs are meeting for the first time; Skënderbeu have never played another Swiss side, and this is Young Boys' maiden encounter with Albanian opponents.

• Albanian clubs are yet to win in four UEFA encounters with Swiss counterparts: D1 L3.

Form guide
• Skënderbeu are unbeaten in four European home games this season (W3 D1), but have lost two of their three group stage home fixtures to date.

• Young Boys have gone ten European away games without a win (D2 L8) since a 3-1 success at Slovan Bratislava in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Albanian Cup runners-up last term, Skënderbeu were the first Albanian side to contest a major UEFA group stage when they featured in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League.

• Defeated home and away by CSKA Moskva in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Young Boys are now competing in the UEFA Europa League group stage for the fifth time, having made it through twice in four appearances.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Berne to Elbasan is around 1,200km.

• Young Boys boast Albanian international talent in the form of winger Taulan Sulejmanov.

• Skënderbeu's Kosovan defender Fidan Aliti started his career in Switzerland, playing for Old Boys (2011–13) and Luzern (2013–15).

• Skënderbeu's 39-year-old Orges Shehi is one game shy of his 50th UEFA club competition appearance.

• Young Boys teenagers Jordan Lotomba (19) and Yannick Toure (17) both celebrate birthdays on the day after the game.

The coaches
• Appointed at the start of 2017, Ilir Daja led Skënderbeu to a losing appearance in the Albanian Cup final but then steered them into this group stage. A former midfielder with Dinamo Tirana, he has guided Elbasan and Tirana to domestic championships as a coach.

• Austrian coach Adi Hütter has been in charge of Young Boys since September 2015. A midfielder who spent the bulk of his career with Salzburg, he returned to lead the club to a domestic double in 2014/15 after managerial spells at Altach and Grödig.