Get To Know: FC Rostov

Manchester United visit FC Rostov in the Europa League Round of 16 on Thursday, but exactly who are the little-known Russian side and what can the Reds expect from this first-leg tie?

Who are they? Founded in 1930, FC Rostov play their football at the Olimp-2 Stadium in Rostov-on-Don, some 1,872 miles from Old Trafford. Only Krasnodar, the other remaining Russian side in the competition, would have offered a longer journey for Jose Mourinho's side and our 238 travelling supporters. They are unbeaten at home in the Russian Premier League in nine games this season; their stadium, with a capacity of 15,840, has proven a tough place to visit with only Atletico Madrid recording a win there this term – 1-0 in October. "It's far and it's difficult," admitted Mourinho after the draw was made.

How did they get here? The Selmashi ('Harvesters') were initially in the Champions League after beating Anderlecht and Ajax 4-2 and 5-2 on aggregate in the qualifiers. They faced a tough ask to progress from a group containing Bayern Munich, Atletico and PSV Eindhoven, but held their own and finished third – above PSV – to qualify for the Europa League, securing an impressive 3-2 victory over German champions Bayern in Russia along the way. Most recently, they defeated Sparta Prague 5-1 over two legs in the Round of 32, after comfortably winning 4-0 in the first leg at home, to set up a clash with the Reds.

What's their current form like? Rostov returned from a three-month winter break in Russian football to hammer bottom side Tom Tomsk 6-0 away from home at the weekend. Having finished second in the Russian League last season to seal Champions League football, they are currently fifth in the table despite their impressive home form.

Who's their boss? Rostov’s manager is Ivan Daniliants, who was previously the assistant coach to Kurben Bendyev before his departure last September. Daniliants has also managed Rubin Kazan, plus the Moldova national team, and is a familiar name to Mourinho, who faced him in 2009. "I know the manager well," Mourinho said. "I played against him when he was at Rubin and I was in Italy at Inter. The team is really difficult, very defensive and physical, so it's a bad draw but we'll focus on it and go for it."

Who is their star player? Forward Sardar Azmoun (pictured above) hit a brace at the weekend and also scored against Bayern and Atletico in the Champions League group stages, as well as contributing to his side's 4-0 home win over Sparta in the last round. Dubbed the 'Iranian Messi' by fans after moving to Rostov on an initial loan from Rubin in 2015, he was linked with a move to Premier League rivals Liverpool in January after helping himself to nine league goals last campaign.

Anything else to note? Two United players are familiar with members of their squad: Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marko Devic were team-mates at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13, while Antonio Valencia plays with Christian Noboa for Ecuador. Meanwhile, former Blackburn Rovers winger David Bentley made seven appearances for Rostov in 2012/13, becoming the first Englishman to play in the Russian Premier League.