LOSC Lille Métropole coach Rudi Garcia and his Valencia CF counterpart Unai Emery have unblemished European records to protect when they meet in the opening UEFA Europa League Group B game.

Previous meetings

• Lille are yet to lose in four home games against Spanish opposition, recording two wins and two draws.

• Valencia have not lost in their last six visits to France, recording three wins and three draws since losing 2-1 at FC Nantes Atlantique in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup on 9 April 1980.

Match background

• Lille have won all four of their games in Europe this season, with their last defeats in continental competition a pair of 1-0 losses against Manchester United FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

• Valencia are unbeaten in their last 12 European matches, recording five wins and seven draws since suffering back-to-back 2-0 defeats by Rosenborg BK in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Los Ché have lost only one UEFA Cup away fixture since winning the competition in 2004, losing 2-0 at FC Steaua Bucureşti in the 2004/05 round of 32.

Team facts

• With regular Lille No1 Mickaël Landreau out with a long-term injury, Ludovic Butelle is expected to line up against his former club. Having joined Valencia from FC Metz in 2004, the 26-year-old played in nine Spanish Liga games for the Mestalla outfit but joined Les Dogues this summer after a successful season-long loan.

• The clubs share a famous old boy in former France right-back Jocelyn Angloma, who represented Lille from 1987-90 and later played for Valencia between 1997 and 2002. He was on the losing side with Valencia in the 2000 and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals.

• The current Valencia squad also boasts French talent in the form of left-back Jérémy Mathieu, who joined the club from Toulouse FC this summer.

• Lille captain Rio Antonio Mavuba played for Valencia's local rivals Villarreal CF in the 2007/08 season.

• Valencia have yet to lose a European game under coach Emery, who has recorded five wins and five draws since replacing Ronald Koeman in May 2008.

• Garcia, once a midfielder with the club, has recorded wins in all four of his European matches thus far as Lille coach. His father José was also a footballer and, as his surname suggests, he has Spanish ancestry.

• Lille visit SK Slavia Praha on Matchday 2, while Valencia are at home against Genoa CFC on the same night, 1 October.