UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2017/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadion HNK Rijeka - Rijeka Thursday 2 November 2017 19.00CET (19.00 local time) HNK Rijeka Group D - Matchday 4 FK Austria Wien Last updated 01/11/2017 03:47CET FedEx Match background 2 Legend 3 1 HNK Rijeka - FK Austria Wien Thursday 2 November 2017 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadion HNK Rijeka, Rijeka Match background 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. • 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. 2 HNK Rijeka - FK Austria Wien Thursday 2 November 2017 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Stadion HNK Rijeka, Rijeka Legend Competitions Club competitions National team competitions UCL: UEFA Champions League EURO: UEFA European Football Championship ECCC: European Champion Clubs' Cup WC: FIFA World Cup UEL: UEFA Europa League CONFCUP: FIFA Confederations Cup UCUP: UEFA Cup FRIE: Friendly internationals UCWC: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup U21FRIE: Under-21 friendly internationals SCUP: UEFA Super Cup U21: UEFA European Under-21 Championship UIC: UEFA Intertoto Cup U17: UEFA Under-17 Championship ICF: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup U16: UEFA European Under-16 Championship U19: UEFA Under-19 Championship U18: UEFA European Under-18 Championship WWC: FIFA Women's World Cup WEURO: UEFA European Women's Championship Competition stages Other abbreviations F: Final GS: Group stage (aet): After extra time pens: Penalties GS1: First group stage GS2: Second group stage No.: Number og: Own goal 3QR: Third qualifying round R1: First round ag: Match decided on away P: Penalty R2: Second round R3: Third round goals agg: Aggregate R4: Fourth round PR: Preliminary round Pld: Matches played AP: Appearances SF: Semi-finals QF: Quarter-finals Pos.: Position Comp.: Competition R16: round of 16 QR: Qualifying round Pts: Points D: Drawn R32: Round of 32 1QR: First qualifying round R: Sent off (straight red card) DoB: Date of birth 1st: first leg 2QR: Second qualifying Res.: Result ET: Extra Time round sg: Match decided by silver GA: Goals against 2nd: second leg FT: Final tournament goal t: Match decided by toss of a PO: Play-off ELITE: Elite round coin Rep: Replay 3rdPO: Third-place play-off GF: Goals for W: Won PO - FT: Play-off for Final GS-FT: Group stage – final gg: Match decided by golden Y: Booked Tournament tournament goal L: Lost Y/R: Sent off (two yellow Nat.: Nationality cards) N/A: Not applicable f: Match forfeited Statistics -: Denotes player substituted +: Denotes player introduced *: Denotes player sent off +/-: Denotes player introduced and substituted Squad list D: Disciplinary *: Misses next match if booked S: Suspended QUAL: All UEFA qualifiers UEL: Current season total UEFA Europa League appearances from the group stage onwards prior to the current matchday UEL: Total appearances in the UEFA Europa League, group stage to final only UEFA: All-time total appearances in UEFA club competition including qualifying Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. More information can be found in the competition regulations available on UEFA.com. 3.