Celtic set for daunting trip to Salzburg

FC Salzburg cut a swathe through the UEFA Europa League group stage last season, and will hope to get off to a positive start in Group D as Celtic FC seek a first win in Austria.

Form guide
• Celtic are yet to win in four games, though a 3-3 draw at SK Rapid Wien in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage ended a run of three straight defeats in Austria. Their results have got progressively better with every visit (3-0, 3-1, 2-1, 3-3).

• The first – and worst – of those Celtic results came in Salzburg, with FC Wacker Innsbruck playing their 1977/78 European Champion Clubs' Cup home ties at Salzburg's old home, Stadion Lehen.

• Salzburg have lost just one of their last eight European home games – 2-1 against FC Basel 1893 in last season's round of 16 – with that run including seven victories.

• Celtic have won just one of their last eight European away matches – 1-0 at KR Reykjavík in this season's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Their away record in 30 UEFA group stage away games – UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League included – is W1 D5 L24, with that lone victory a 3-2 success at FC Spartak Moskva in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League.

• Salzburg won all six of their UEFA Europa League group stage outings in both 2009/10 and 2013/14. Only three other sides – FC Zenit (2010/11), RSC Anderlecht (2011/12) and Tottenham Hotspur FC (2013/14) – have earned a clean sweep since the competition took its current form.

Trivia and links
• Salzburg's Belgian winger Massimo Bruno turns 21 on the eve of the Celtic game; he has scored once in 13 UEFA club competition games.

• Salzburg's Spanish forward Jonatan Soriano was the top scorer in last season's UEFA Europa League with eight goals in seven games from the start of the group stage.

• Salzburg midfielder Valon Berisha, left out of his club's UEFA Europa League squad due to injury, and Celtic counterpart Stefan Johansen are team-mates with Norway.

The coaches
• Adi Hütter took charge of Salzburg following Roger Schmidt's departure for Bayer 04 Leverkusen in summer 2014. A former midfielder with the club, he coached Salzburg's youth teams before moving into senior football with SCR Altach and SV Grödig, whom he led to promotion and then a third-place finish in Austria last season.

• Celtic coach Ronny Deila – who celebrates his 39th birthday three days after the Salzburg match – took charge of the Hoops in June 2014 following a successful spell at Strømsgodset IF in his native Norway. The former Odd Grenland and Viking FK defender led the Drammen club to the 2010 Norwegian Cup title and, in 2013, their first league crown since 1970.