Astana v Slavia Praha background

A long, unbeaten home run will encourage Astana as they look to repair the damage of a matchday one loss when Slavia Praha head east in UEFA Europa League Group A.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time. Astana have never played another Czech side, and this is Slavia's maiden encounter with Kazakh opponents.

• In the six previous' meetings between these nations' clubs, the Czech sides have come out better: W3 D2 L1 (W1 D2 in Kazakhstan).

Form guide
• Astana are unbeaten in 15 European home games (W8 D7).

• Slavia have not won in 18 European away fixtures (D8 L10) since a 1-0 success at Ajax in UEFA Champions League qualifying on 15 August 2007.

• Beaten by Celtic in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Astana are playing group stage football for a third successive season: UEFA Champions League in 2015/16, UEFA Europa League in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

• Edged out by APOEL in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Slavia made it through the UEFA Cup group stage in 2005/06, falling short in 2008/09, and were also eliminated in their only previous UEFA Europa League group campaign of 2009/10.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Prague to Astana is around 3,900km.

• This is Astana's 42nd UEFA club competition game and Slavia's 146th.

The coaches
• Hired in 2014, Stanimir Stoilov has led Astana to three successive Kazakh titles. The former Bulgaria player and coach enjoyed his most fruitful years as a player at Levski Sofia, whom he later guided to two championships – and the 2005/06 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

• A Czechoslovak league runner-up in 1992/93 as a Slavia midfielder, Jaroslav Šilhavý returned to the club after a 22-year absence in September 2016. Having won the Czech crown as Liberec boss in 2011/12, he triumphed again with Slavia in 2017.