The last time these two teams met, it was 4 February 2020 at ČPP Arena in Hradec Králové, Czechia. In what turned out to be the last Champions Hockey League game for over 18 months, Frölunda Gothenburg scored three goals in a span of 2:52 late in the first period and defeated Mountfield HK 3-1. It was Frölunda's fourth European title in five years. 

Last season, Frölunda were again strong in the CHL, topping their group and advancing as far as the Semi-Finals, where they lost to eventual champions Rögle Ängelholm. Ryan Lasch, the CHL's all-time leader in goals (33), assists (76) and points (109) earned the Top Scorer award for the fourth time. Teammate Joel Lundqvist is second in all three categories and both players are still with the team. Although their reign as European champs ended, Frölunda earned their way back into the CHL by finishing fourth in the Swedish Hockey League standings and reaching the semi-finals.

Thursday's opening game will be Mountfield's first in the CHL since hosting that Final. They earned their way back into the competition by finishing first overall in the Czech Extraliga's regular season last season before suffering a quarter-final upset at the hands of BK Mladá Boleslav. Key returning players from that 2019/20 team are forward Radek Smoleňák and defenceman Lukáš Cingel. Smoleňák, the team captain, has had a career that has taken him to many countries, including two tours of duty in Sweden. 

This will actually be the fourth ever CHL meeting between these teams, as back in that 2019/20 season they were in the same group. Interestingly, the away team won all three encounters that season, with Mountfield winning 3-2 at Frölundaborg back on 1 September, making Thursday night's encounter the third anniversary of that clash. Mountfield will look to win there again, while Frölunda will try to buck the trend and finally get a win for a home side in this rivalry.