BURNLEY return to European competition for the first time in more than 50 years on Thursday night when they face Aberdeen in the Europa League second qualifying round first leg.

The Clarets could have been handed trips to Kazakhstan or Moldova when the draw was made last month but instead were paired with the Scottish Premiership side.

Here the Lancashire Telegraph gives you the lowdown on the Dons.

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

Derek McInnes has been at the Aberdeen helm since 2013 following a spell in charge of Bristol City. The 47-year-old has steered the Dons to three consecutive second place finishes in the Scottish top flight behind Celtic.

He has a 53 per cent win ratio in charge of the club

WHAT’S THEIR EUROPEAN PEDIGREE?

The Dons are preparing for their fifth straight appearance in the Europa League but have yet to progress past the qualifying stages.

Last season they lost out to Cypriot side Appollon Limassol 3-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round having beaten Bosnian outfit Siroki Brijeg at this stage of the competition.

In their previous four Europa League campaigns, Aberdeen have advanced to the third qualifying round on each occasion but lost each time.

They reached the knockout stages of the then UEFA Cup in 2008, only to lose to Bayern Munich but their greatest moment came in 1983 when they won the European Cup Winners Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson, beating Real Madrid in the final.

The Dons then went on to win the Super Cup after a victory over Hamburg

WHO'S THE DANGERMAN?

Graeme Shinnie. The former left back has become a key man in midfield for the Dons and has assumed the captain’s armband. His form last season saw him earn a Scotland cap in their friendly with Peru in May and he is a man the Clarets will need to keep quiet.

WHO HAVE THEY SIGNED?

The Dons made two late additions to the squad this week with the signing of former Blackburn Rovers defender Tommie Hoban on loan from Watford and goalkeeper Tomas Cerny.

The pair supplemented the arrivals of Lewis Ferguson from Hamilton and Chris Forrester from Peterborough while Stephen Gleeson arrived on a free transfer from Ipswich and Dom Ball joined on loan from Rotherham.

But it was a departure that caused the biggest stir of the summer when Adam Rooney, who netted 11 goals last term, left to join National League newcomers Salford City.