Osmanlıspor v Steaua background

Osmanlıspor will be hoping to take a few tips from their Romanian striker Raul Rusescu as they take on his old side, Steaua Bucureşti, in their opening Group L game.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time; it is Osmanlıspor's first encounter with Romanian opponents.

• Steaua's record in nine meetings with Turkish sides is W4 D3 L2 (W1 D2 L1 in Turkey).

Form guide
• Osmanlıspor have won all three of their European home games this season without conceding. They reached the group stage unbeaten in six qualifying games (W5 D1).

• This is Osmanlıspor's first UEFA group stage campaign; they previously competed in Europe under the name Ankaraspor.

• Steaua have not won in two European away games this season (D1 L1).

• Steaua have qualified for the round of 32 in four of their seven UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns; they missed out in their most recent two.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Bucharest to Ankara is around 750km.

• Osmanlıspor's Raul Rusescu is well known to Steaua fans, having scored 34 goals in 65 league games for the club from 2011–13, and returned on loan from Sevilla in 2014/15.

The coaches
• Hired in July 2015, Mustafa Reşit Akçay earned Osmanlıspor a European place with a fifth-placed finish last season. He had been in charge of a number of low-profile sides in Turkey before leading Trabzonspor through the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Akçay comes into matchday one yet to lose in 18 UEFA club competition games, 12 with Trabzonspor and now six with Osmanlıspor.

• Laurenţiu Reghecampf won two titles as a midfielder with Steaua and two more in his first stint as coach, from 2012 to 2014. He returned to Bucharest in December 2015 after a spell in Bulgaria with Litex Lovech, with whom he won a championship as a player in 1998/99.