Lugano v Plzeň background

Lugano will look to avoid another 2-1 defeat in UEFA Europa League Group G against a Plzeň team who have not won on the road in Europe for some time.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time, and it is Plzeň's maiden encounter with Swiss opposition.

• Lugano faced another Czech club, Slavia Praha, in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup second round; František Cipro's Slavia beat Roberto Morinini's team 2-1 in Lugano and then 1-0 in Prague.

Form guide
• Lugano have lost both of their Group G games by the same 2-1 scoreline.

• Plzeň are without a win in 11 European away matches (D5 L6)

• Third in Switzerland last term, Lugano – from the Italian-speaking Ticino canton – have been absent from UEFA competition since 2002/03 and have never before featured in a group stage.

• Runners-up in last term's Czech First League, Viktoria Plzeň are contesting the UEFA Europa League group stage for a third straight season. They reached the last 16 in 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Plzen to Lugano is a little over 500km.

• Plzeň have won all ten of their Czech league games this season; only Napoli – with eight wins from eight in Italy – have made a comparable positive start to a 2017/18 European top-division campaign.

• Plzeň's Martin Zeman played in Switzerland with Sion (2015–16).

The coaches
• Pierluigi Tami took charge of Lugano for a second time in June 2017, the Italian-born defender having spent his entire professional career in Switzerland. Notably, he assisted Ottmar Hitzfeld during his spell as national coach.

• After stints as Czech Republic and Anji coach, Pavel Vrba rejoined Plzeň this year, having earlier steered Viktoria to two championships between 2008 and 2013. Once a Baník Ostrava player and coach, he lifted the 2006/07 Slovak title as Žilina boss.