Estoril seek Freiburg fillip

All is not yet lost for Estoril Praia and SC Freiburg, though they head into matchday four of the UEFA Europa League still waiting for their first Group H wins.

Previous meetings
• Estoril came away from the sides' first encounter the happier after coming from 1-0 down to earn a 1-1 draw in Freiburg. It was the home side's first encounter with Portuguese opponents and Estoril's first experience of German adversaries.

• Four of the last five games between clubs representing these nations on Portuguese soil have ended in home wins, with FC Schalke 04's 2-1 win at SL Benfica in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage the sole German success during that spell.

Match background
• Estoril came through the qualifying phase unbeaten but have now lost their unbeaten home and away records in the competition, losing 2-1 at home against Sevilla FC on matchday one and then 2-1 at FC Slovan Liberec on matchday two.

• Freiburg are making their first appearance in a UEFA competition group stage. Indeed, this is their first appearance in Europe since they reached the third round of the 2001/02 UEFA Cup, losing to eventual winners Feyenoord.

• Freiburg's heaviest defeat in 11 European games to date came on matchday two – a 2-0 loss at Sevilla FC. They have failed to score in four of their five continental away matches to date, with a 4-1 success at FC St Gallen in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup their only scoring performance on the road.

Team facts
• Estoril are one of four sides in the group stage who are in their first European season, along with CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu, Wigan Athletic FC and FC Kuban Krasnodar.

• From a town on the coast of Portugal, Estoril are the westernmost side in this season's group stage. Estoril is 6,358km west of Karaganda, the home of the competition's easternmost representatives FC Shakhter Karagandy, although it is 6,188km from Astana, where Shakhter will play their group stage games.

• Freiburg's Gelson Fernandes played in the Portuguese league for Sporting Clube de Portugal in the first half of the 2012/13 season.

• Estoril midfielder Carlitos recently played in Germany, representing Hannover 96 from 2010-12.

Coach information
• One of the most exciting coaching prospects in Portugal, Marco Silva took charge of Estoril midway through 2011/12, leading them to promotion as second division champions and then on to a European debut with a fifth-placed finish the following season. A journeyman defender, the Lisbon-born coach ended his career with a six-year spell at Estoril, moving from the pitch to the bench after hanging up his boots in 2011.

• A qualified teacher, coach Christian Streich played for SC Freiburg and their neighbours Freiburger FC as a midfielder, making a brief cameo appearance in the Bundesliga with FC Homburg 08 before moving into coaching. He took charge of Freiburg's youth team in 1995, later combining that role with work as the club's assistant coach before being given sole command in December 2011. He famously cycles to all of Freiburg's home games.