Oxford United skipper Jake Wright is relishing the prospect of taking on European opposition tonight as they face SC Wiener Neustadt (5.30 BST).

The game against a side who were playing in the Austrian Bundesliga last season is the highlight of the squad’s pre-season training camp in Austria.

United are staying at facilities which Neustadt use during the week and there was the unusual sight yesterday of the teams training on adjacent pitches.

Wright was impressed with what he saw and is looking forward to testing himself against a new type of opposition.

He said: “It’s the unknown, we don’t know much about them.

“They looked quite good technically, so it’s going to be a difficult game for us, but a different challenge.

“As soon as we found out we were coming to Austria we were buzzing.

“When we heard who we were playing the lads were excited and started looking up who they are.

“It’s a really good experience, especially for the young lads who have not done it before.”

United believe as many as 200 supporters have made the journey, and head coach Michael Appleton is hoping his side can reward their efforts.

“It’s quite exciting to think about it,” he said.

“It’s a long time since they had the opportunity to support the side in Europe.

“I don’t know how many of their fans will turn up given it’s a pre-season friendly, but I’m sure our fans will have a fantastic night.”

Wiener Neustadt's competitive games start this Friday, so the hosts are likely to be closer to full sharpness than the U’s, but are taking the friendly seriously.

Sporting director Gunter Kreissl said: “It’s a big honour for us to play that traditional team from England.

“We don’t get the chance to play teams from England very often, so it’s great for us.

“I hope we would get a crowd of 800-1,000, which is good for a pre-season game.

“That’s because I heard so many Oxford fans are coming, I hope it will be nice because English fans are known for making a very good atmosphere.”

United, who flew out on Sunday, underwent a double training session yesterday to get up to speed.

Facilities are basic, but just what Appleton wanted.

He said: “We didn’t want to pamper the players too much.This is basic but in a nice way.

“It’s got everything we need."