Salzburg seek improved Athletic return

FC Salzburg earned a 2-2 draw at Athletic Club on matchday three and will hope to improve on that as the sides meet again in Austria in UEFA Europa League Group F. Previous meetings • In their first UEFA competition contest, goals from Roman Wallner (30) and Leonardo (36) helped Salzburg race ahead, but Fernando Llorente converted two penalties (69, 75) either side of Rasmus Lindgren's dismissal to earn the Spanish side a draw. • Salzburg's record in nine games against Spanish teams is W3 D1 L5 (W2 D0 L2 at home). • Athletic's record in five matches against Austrian opposition is W2 D2 L1 (W1 D1 L0 in Austria). They beat FK Austria Wien by the same 3-0 margin at home and away in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage. Llorente struck four times in those encounters. Match background • Salzburg have not conceded a goal in their last four European home games, recording a 0-0 draw, two 1-0 wins and a 3-0 success against ŠK Slovan Bratislava on matchday two. • Athletic were given a bye to the UEFA Europa League after their play-off against Trabzonspor A? was abandoned midway through the tie, following a 0-0 draw in Bilbao. The Black Sea side had been invited to take Fenerbahçe SK's place in the UEFA Champions League after the latter's place in Europe was withdrawn by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). Team facts • Athletic need three more goals to reach 150 in UEFA club competition; this will be their 103rd UEFA game, having made their debut in the 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round with a 2-1 victory at FC Porto. • Salzburg boast Spanish talent in the form of left-back José María Anton, a one-time trainee with Real Madrid CF and Real Betis Balompié. • Salzburg midfielder Rasmus Lindgren was in the AFC Ajax side that suffered a 4-0 home defeat by Real Madrid in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage. • Athletic's coach is former Argentina defender Marcelo Bielsa, who briefly coached RCD Espanyol in Spain in 1998 before taking charge of the Argentina (1998-2004) and Chile (2007-11) national teams. Athletic's 0-0 draw against Trabzonspor in the play-offs was his first UEFA club competition game. • Dutchman Ricardo Moniz is now in charge at Salzburg, having stepped up from a role as skills coach to replace Huub Stevens, following his countryman's dismissal in April. Moniz's only previous front-line coaching experience came in a caretaker role at Hamburger SV, but he has worked as a specialist trainer at Feyenoord, Grasshopper-Club, PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur FC.