PAOK v Qäbälä background

PAOK FC and Qäbäla FK are still waiting to get their first wins in UEFA Europa League Group C as they approach matchday five just about clinging on to a chance of qualification.

• Qäbälä can only progress if they take six points from their next two games and FC Krasnodar collect none.

• Both sides will be eliminated if Krasnodar win at home against Borussia Dortmund.

Previous meetings
• The teams drew 0-0 in Baku on matchday one in what was PAOK's first encounter with Azerbaijani opponents.

• Qäbälä eliminated PAOK's domestic rivals Panathinaikos FC on away goals in this season's UEFA Europa League play-offs, drawing 0-0 at home and 2-2 in Athens.

• Oddly, all five games between Azeri and Greek clubs in UEFA competition have ended in draws – in addition to the aforementioned Qäbälä fixtures, İnter Bakı PİK and Asteras Tripolis FC drew 1-1 home and away in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. Asteras went through on penalties.

Form guide
• PAOK are unbeaten in five European home games: three wins in qualifying followed by two draws in Group C.

• Qäbälä are yet to win in seven European away trips (D2 L5), with their 4-0 loss at Dortmund on matchday four their worst European result to date.

• PAOK have featured in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage in five previous campaigns – they have made it to the knockout phase three times.

• Qäbälä are making their UEFA group stage debut this season; this is only their second European campaign.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Qabala to Salonika is around 2,100km.

• Qäbälä and Rosenborg BK are the only clubs who have made it all the way from the first qualifying round to the group stage in this season's competition.

• PAOK's 2-1 loss at Krasnodar on matchday four was their 150th UEFA competition game: their record in those matches is W54 D47 L49.

• PAOK defender Giorgos Tzavellas turns 28 on the day of the Qäbälä game; team-mate Garry Rodrigues is 25 the following day.

• PAOK's Dimitar Berbatov needs one more goal to match Hristo Stoichkov's Bulgarian record of 35 in UEFA club competition.

The coaches
• PAOK have been led by former Croatia defender Igor Tudor since June. Now 37, he won two league titles with Juventus and began his coaching career with HNK Hajduk Split – the club where he started and ended his playing days – winning the Croatian Cup in 2013.

• Qäbälä's Ukrainian coach Roman Hrygorchuk made his name in Latvia, where he won three domestic titles with FK Ventspils from 2006 to 2008. He took charge at Qäbälä in December 2014 after a four-year spell at FC Chornomorets Odesa.