As Fiorentina prepare to welcome Basel to the Stadio Artemio Franchi later today, there is one man in particular who will be very familiar with the opponents. New Viola coach Paulo Sousa, who took over following Vincenzo Montella's sacking, spent one season with the Swiss champions in which he led them to their 18th league title, will be facing off against some of his former players for the first time.
Fiorentina
Last season, the Viola made an impressive run to the semi-finals, where they were halted by a strong Sevilla side that went on to defend their Europa League crown, making it four wins in the past nine years for the Andalusian club. This season, Fiorentina are again back in the Europa League after finishing fourth in the 2014/2015 Serie A season and will be facing Basel for the first time.
Although they have never taken on Basel, the hosts are no strangers to Swiss opposition, having played eight games against them. Their overall record is pretty solid, with five wins, one draw, and two losses, but curiously enough they have performed much better on the road - with three wins and one draw - than they have on their own turf.
Overall, Fiorentina have done decently in continental competition. In their past three UEFA Cup/Europa League group stage campaigns, they have always made it through to the round of 32, although, given their good showing last season, mere qualification for the knock-out rounds will not be enough to satisfy fans. With Lech and Belenenses for company in their quartet, Basel could represent the trickiest opponents for the Tuscan sides and as such they will be keen on improving that home record - which stands as two wins and two losses - against Swiss opponents.
Basel
Meanwhile Basel are no strangers to European competition. The Swiss powerhouse have featured in six UEFA Cup/Europa League at the group stage level, and have made it to the knock-out rounds four times. To date, they are the only Swiss side to have qualified for a Champions League group stage, but despite their domestic dominance, they have yet to make their mark on the bigger stage. In their nine matches against Italian sides, they have won three, drawn one and lost five. On the road, this translates into just one win and three defeats - and their sole victory was against Roma during the 2010/2011 Champions League group stage, where they shocked the Giallorossi at their own stadium with a 3-1 result.
Basel will hope to certainly overcome their disappointing record against Italian sides on home soil, especially when their record against Serie A teams - in Switzerland - is more promising, with two wins, one draw, and one loss.
Sporting
Current Sporting boss Jorge Jesus is quite familiar with the Europa League, but the competition will probably bring some bittersweet memories for the former Benfica coach. Whilst there, he guided them to the finals in 2013 and 2014, but unfortunately were unable to complete the task and earn their spot on the winners' podium.
Sporting initially qualified for the Champions League but were trounced by Russian powerhouse CSKA Moskva during their two-legged play-off. And interestingly enough, in their first group stage game in the Europa League, they are again pitted against a Russian side: Lokomotiv Moskva. Although the hosts boast the best home record in the Europa League - with 20 successive matches sans defeat - their record against teams from Russia is quite poor. Out of their seven games, they have won just one and lost five, with that solitary victory taking place at home, meaning that they have yet to win a match when visiting Russia.
Lokomotiv Moskva
Although Sporting's record against Russian sides is something that will concern their fans, Lokomotiv Moskva don't have a good track record against Portuguese teams, either. Like Sporting, their only win against a Primeira Liga side was on home soil and they have yet to win a game in Portugal. Still, out of their past three UEFA Cup/Europa League campaigns, Lokomotiv have made it through two group stages. The team's current coach, Igor Cherevchenko, has enjoyed success with the club - both as a player and a manager - with five Russian cups (four from his playing days and one whilst on the tactician's bench) and will be keen on banishing their bad luck in Portugal by snatching all three points later today.
With both of these games featuring teams who have never met before, viewers could be in for a very interesting few hours of football.
The Europa League kicks off today, with some interesting matches all across the continent! If you have a favorite team in this competition, you surely will not want to miss out on any of the action, and as always, LiveSoccerTV's got you covered.
Simply bookmark our special Europa League page for times, matches, and viewing options for wherever you are currently based.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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International Coverage:
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Ireland: discovery+
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