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Rijeka v Austria Wien background

Croatian champions Rijeka arrested a four-game European losing streak at Austria Wien on matchday three and a repeat could put them right in the mix in Group D.

Austria Wien's Christoph Monschein in action with Alexander Gorgon of Rijeka on matchday three
Austria Wien's Christoph Monschein in action with Alexander Gorgon of Rijeka on matchday three ©AFP/Getty Images

Rijeka will hope to use home advantage to complete a UEFA Europa League Group D double over Austria Wien after winning the matchday three encounter between the teams 3-1 in Vienna.

Previous meetings
• In the first meeting of the clubs, the Croatian side shrugged off the disappointment of four successive European defeats to take the spoils at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, two first-half goals from Swiss striker Mario Gavranović putting the visitors in control before the teams traded late goals.

• The result stretched Austria's winless run at home to Croatian clubs to four matches (D1 L3). However, the Violetten are undefeated on their three previous trips to Croatia (W2 D1).

• Rijeka met Austrian opposition for the first time in this season's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, drawing 1-1 away and 0-0 at home against Salzburg – thus winning the tie on away goals.

Form guide
• Rijeka are on a three-game European winless streak at home, their two most recent matches having ended in defeats by Greek clubs – Olympiacos 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League play-offs and AEK Athens 2-1 in their UEFA Europa League group opener.

Highlights: Austria Wien 1-3 Rijeka

• Austria Wien have lost only twice in their last 14 European away games, winning seven of them. Their only point so far in this group came on the road in a 2-2 draw at AEK Athens.

• Croatian title winners for the first time last term, Rijeka are in their third UEFA Europa League group stage campaign but have yet to reach the knockout phase.

• Last season's Austrian Bundesliga runners-up, Austria Wien have not survived their last five UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns; they reached the quarter-finals of the 2004/05 competition.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Vienna to Rijeka is around 350km.

• Rijeka's Austrian midfielder Alexander Gorgon joined the club from Austria Wien in 2016, having been with his home-town team since he was a teenager. He helped them win the Austrian league and reach the cup final in 2012/13.

• Austria Wien possess a Croatian player in Marko Pejić, the former Dinamo Zagreb trainee having signed after spells with Sesvete (2014) and Hajduk Split (2015–16) in his homeland.

• Suspended for next match if booked: Filip Bradarić and Josip Elez (Rijeka).

The coaches
• Rijeka's longest-serving coach, Slovenian Matjaž Kek was appointed in 2013 and steered the team to their first league championship and fourth Croatian Cup in 2016/17. A defender and coach at Maribor, where his father and son also played, he was Slovenia boss from 2007–11.

• Austria Wien coach since 2015, Thorsten Fink won the 2001 UEFA Champions League and four German Bundesliga titles as a Bayern midfielder. He also secured back-to-back Swiss Super League championships as coach of Basel from 2009–11.