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Free-scoring Anderlecht travel to Sturm

The UEFA Europa League group stage's joint top scorers, RSC Anderlecht go in search of their 200th UEFA competition goal at a SK Sturm Graz side who have lost their last two home games in Europe.

Matías Suárez has scored four of Anderlecht's six goals in Group L
Matías Suárez has scored four of Anderlecht's six goals in Group L ©Getty Images

SK Sturm Graz will look to rein in the UEFA Europa League group stage's joint top scorers as RSC Anderlecht seek their 200th UEFA competition goal in Group L.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition.

• Sturm have not met Belgian opponents since the first round of the 1974/75 UEFA Cup, when they were eliminated by R. Antwerp FC on away goals, winning 2-1 at home but losing 1-0 in Deurne.

• Anderlecht's seven meetings with Austrian teams have ended W4 D2 L1 (W1 D1 L1 in Austria). Their most notable victory against Austrian opposition came when they famously beat FK Austria Wien 4-0 in the final of the 1978 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in Paris.

Match background
• Sturm have lost their last two home matches in Europe, conceding twice in each (against FC Lokomotiv Moskva and FC BATE Borisov). Their record in four UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage home games is W1 D0 L3, scoring two goals and conceding four in the process.

• Anderlecht's record in nine UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage away contests reads W3 D3 L3, scoring 13 goals and conceding nine in the process.

Team facts
• Anderlecht and Beşiktaş JK are the group stage's top scorers to date with six goals each.

• Anderlecht's next goal will be their 200th in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League. This is their 117th game in the two competitions. Their first was scored by Paul van Himst in a 1-1 draw at Bologna FC, in the first round of the 1971/72 UEFA Cup.

• Sturm defender Stefan Stangl turns 20 on the day of the game having made his first UEFA competition start in the 2-1 matchday two win at AEK Athens FC.

• Sturm's Imre Szabics and Anderlecht's Roland Juhász know each other from their time together in the Hungarian national team.

• German defender Franco Foda finished his playing career at Sturm following spells with the likes of Bayer 04 Leverkusen (1990-94) and VfB Stuttgart (1994-96). He joined Sturm's coaching staff after hanging up his boots in 2001 aged 35, and following a brief first stint in charge in 2003, has been first-team boss since 2006.

• Ariël Jacobs has been Anderlecht coach since November 2007. Once a striker, he spent most of his playing career with K. Diegem Sport, serving the Belgian side in four seperate spells (1965-70, 1973-79, 1980-1983 and 1984-87). He later coached youth teams for the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA-KBVB) and acted as assistant to national team boss Guy Thys before returning to club football with RWD Molenbeek, RAA Louviéroise, KSC Lokeren OV and R. Excelsior Mouscron.

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