Getting To Know You…

PFC Ludogorets Razgrad Placed in Group J as top seeds, we were joined by PFC Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria, tonight’s opponents LASK of Austria and Royal Antwerp of Belgium following the Europa League group stage draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

Like each of the three sides we faced in this season’s qualifying rounds for the competition – Lokomotiv Plovdiv, KF Shkëndija and Maccabi Haifa – we have never played any of our Group J opponents previously in competitive action.

Here are the key facts, information and connections between us and our upcoming European opposition.

We face a trip back to Bulgaria this season – having already visited the Balkan nation when we faced Lokomotiv Plovdiv in September’s second qualifying round – as Ludogorets were drawn from pot two.

Champions of the Bulgarian First League in 2019/20 – their ninth consecutive league title – Ludogorets started their 2020/21 campaign fighting for UEFA Champions League qualification but after defeat to Danish outfit Midtjylland, they moved into the Europa League qualifying rounds. They then sealed their place in the competition’s group stages with a 2-0 play-off victory over Dynamo Brest of Belarus.

Having previously featured in the Champions League group stages in both 2014/15 and 2016/17, this will be the Bulgarian side’s fifth season in the Europa League group stages – they have progressed to the knockout stages of the competition on three of their four previous campaigns. The furthest they have progressed in the tournament was to the round of 16 back in 2013/14 – they lost out 4-0 to Valencia on aggregate having dispatched Lazio in the round of 32.