Grp L: AEK Athens vs Sturm Graz Preview
Sturm Graz coach Franco Foda has warned his side they must guard against the attacking threat of AEK Athens in Thursday's Europa League encounter.
With both sides failing to take anything from their opening matches, neither wants to suffer defeat and fall further from contention in Group L.
Sturm went down 2-1 at home to Lokomotiv Moscow in their opening game and are third in the standings with AEK propping up the group following their 4-1 trouncing by Anderlecht.
Foda, though, is not lulled into any false sense of security and has called on his team to look out for the likes of former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen and veteran Nikolaos Liberopoulos.
Foda told sksturm.at: "They have great individual class on the offensive with Gudjohnsen and Liberopoulos, for example.
"We lost in the first round, just like AEK, so this is already an important game for both teams tomorrow [Thursday]. "
However, Foda is confident his side are in good shape ahead of the game, saying: "For us, it looks good at the moment.
"We have prepared well and have also trained well. I am assuming that my team will make a good game tomorrow [Thursday].
"Generally, our way of playing is that we try to control the game, but we are away and we must not be sucked in."
AEK have won two and lost one of their three games in the Super League this season and will be looking to bounce back from the thumping by Anderlecht.
It will be the first time the teams will meet since AEK's 2-1 aggregate victory over the Austrians in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup - a match in which both Foda and AEK technical director Arnar Gretarsson played.
The hosts' last 10 home games in Europe shows a distinctly mediocre record of two wins, three draws and five defeats.
However, Sturm fare even worse and in the eight away games since their last victory on their travels in August 2009, the Austrians have recorded four draws and four defeats.