Spartak Moskva - Zürich
FC Spartak Moskva and FC Zürich can book their place in the last 32 with a game to spare as they meet in their third Group E game in the Russian capital.
• Spartak won their opener at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 and then earned a 0-0 draw at AC Sparta Praha to take second place in the section. Three points against Swiss champions Zürich would ensure them a top-three finish.
• Zürich won 2-1 at Sparta in their opening game and then beat Toulouse FC 2-0 at home. One more point would leave them certain of a place in the next phase of the competition.
• Zürich are at home against Leverkusen in their final Group E game on 19 December while Spartak travel to Toulouse.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Spartak have played nine games against Swiss sides in UEFA club competition, including a match at home against FC Sion which had to be replayed after it was discovered that the goalposts were 8cm short of regulation height.
• That match took place in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round. Spartak had won the first leg in Switzerland 1-0 and then drew 2-2 at home, only to be told to replay the game because of the miscalculation. They won the replay 5-1.
• In total they have won four games against Swiss sides, drawing two and losing three. At home they have won two, drawn two and lost one. Those stats include the abandoned game against Sion.
• Zürich are playing their first game against Russian opposition.
• Zürich coach Bernard Challandes has been to Russia twice before as coach of the Swiss Under-21 side, drawing 3-3 in a 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier and winning 2-1 in the 2004 qualifying campaign.
• Spartak coach Stanislav Cherchesov played in a 2-0 defeat against Zürich's main Swiss league rivals FC Basel 1893 in one of his last games at European level in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League group stage. The goalkeeper was 39 years and 15 days old.
• Challandes was suspended for the game against Toulouse, while striker Eric Hassli still has two more matches of a three-game ban to serve with both men being punished for their parts in incidents in the 2-1 win at Sparta.
• Spartak midfielder Renat Sabitov will miss the remainder of their 2007 games after breaking his leg in a friendly game against Spanish side Elche CF.
• Leverkusen are at home against Sparta in Thursday's other Group E game.
Bayer Leverkusen - Sparta Pragha
AC Sparta Praha coach Michal Bílek can avenge an old defeat as his side face Michael Skibbe's Bayer 04 Leverkusen in UEFA Cup Group E.
• Leverkusen coach Skibbe came up against Czech opposition in his first UEFA club competition games, leading BV Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back 1-0 wins against FK Teplice in the third qualifying round of the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League.
• Sparta coach Bílek, then nearing the end of his career as a defender and midfielder, was on the losing side in both legs of that game.
• Skibbe never had a significant playing career, being forced to retire in his early 20s after tearing cruciate ligaments three times during a spell at FC Schalke 04. He played just 14 Bundesliga games for the club between 1984 and 1986.
• He moved into coaching at the age of just 22, with the youth teams at Schalke and then Dortmund. Appointed as Dortmund's head coach in 1998 at 32, he became the youngest coach of all time in the Bundesliga.
• Bílek, by contrast, had an excellent playing career, representing Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at international level, and playing with the former at the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals. He spent much of his club career with Sparta, playing abroad with Real Betis Balompié between 1990 and 1992.
• Leverkusen beat Toulouse FC 1-0 at home in their opening game but lost 2-1 at FC Spartak Moskva in their second. A win against Sparta would put them in the last 32 of the competition regardless of the outcome of their final game at FC Zürich.
• Sparta are third in the section with four points, but need a win in their final Group E outing at the BayArena to be certain of progress.
• Leverkusen's young Czech striker Michal Papadopulos may play against two former team-mates, having played with Sparta pair Zdenĕk Pospĕch and Miroslav Matušovič at FC Baník Ostrava.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Leverkusen have played six games against Czech opposition in the past, winning three, drawing two and losing one. At home, they have drawn once and won their last two games against Czech oppositions 2-0 and 5-0.
• Sparta have played ten games against German sides over the years, winning four, drawing two and losing four. In Germany itself, they have won once, drawn twice and lost twice.
Aris - Braga
A win at home against SC Braga will send FC Aris Thessaloniki through to the Round of 32 but their Portuguese guests will not give in easily.
• After two Group F games, Aris are second having drawn 1-1 at Bolton Wanderers FC before overwhelming FK Crvena Zvezda – Aris coach Dušan Bajević's previous club – 3-0 on Matchday 2. Another win would see them through to the last 32 regardless of the result from their final game at FC Bayern München.
• Braga have come from behind to draw both of their Group F games to date, 1-1 at Bolton and 1-1 at home against Bayern.
• Aris boast an awesome home record in UEFA club competition, and are still unbeaten in 17 games in Salonika since making UEFA club competition debut in 1970. They did, however, lose home games in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the non-UEFA affiliated precursor to the UEFA Cup.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Aris have played two games against Portuguese opposition, having been drawn against SL Benfica in the first round of the 1979/80 UEFA Cup. They won 3-1 at home and lost 2-1 in Lisbon to progress, and going on to reach the third round.
• Braga have played two games against Greek opposition too, meeting AEK Athens FC in the first round of the 1966/67 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won the away leg 1-0 and then triumphed 3-2 at home. They were then knocked out in the second round.
• Aris defender Ronaldo Guiaro and Braga forward João Tomás were team-mates at Benfica up until the end of the 2001/02 season.
• Aris coach Dušan Bajević has been involved in eight games against Portuguese sides, or to be more specific, eight games against FC Porto.
• As a player, he scored twice as his AEK Athens FC side thrashed Porto 6-1 at home and lost 4-1 away in the 1978/79 European Champion Clubs' Cup.
• During his time as Olympiacos CFP coach, he was then paired with Porto in three successive UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns - 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/00.
• His side won all three home matches against Porto, drawing one away and losing the other two.
• He thus goes into the game against Braga having won all four of his previous home games against Portuguese opposition.
• Bajević celebrates his 59th birthday on 10 December, four days after the game against Braga.
Crvena Zvezda - Bolton
FK Crvena Zvezda are looking to salvage their UEFA Cup campaign as they seek their first Group F points against draw specialists Bolton Wanderers FC.
• Two games have brought Crvena Zvezda no points. They lost 3-2 at home against FC Bayern München in their opening fixture and then 3-0 away against an FC Aris Thessaloniki side coached by their former boss Dušan Bajević.
• However, wins in their final games against both Bolton and SC Braga would guarantee the Serbian side a place in the last 32.
• Bolton have drawn their home games against Braga and Aris 1-1 either side of a 2-2 draw against Bayern in Munich. A fourth draw might see them reach the next phase of the tournament, but they will be looking for a win. However, they have not won away in their last five European games.
• Both clubs have parted company with coaches since the start of the season. Milorad Kosanović resigned in the wake of the 3-0 defeat at Aris while Sammy Lee was replaced at Bolton following a poor start in the Premier League.
• Aleksandar Janković is the new man in charge at Crvena Zvezda. The 35-year-old spent much of his coaching career as assistant to Slavoljub Muslin at Crvena Zvezda, PFC Levski Sofia, FC Metalurh Donetsk, KSC Lokeren OV and FC Lokomotiv Moskva.
• The game against Bolton will be his first in Europe since taking over from Kosanović.
• New Bolton manager Gary Megson has led Bolton to draws in both of his UEFA Cup games since taking charge but made a major breakthrough in the Premier League on 24 November, leading his side to a 1-0 win against champions Manchester United FC.
• Bolton's Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson celebrates his 27th birthday on 8 December, two days after the game.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Crvena Zvezda have played 15 games against English sides over the years, winning six, drawing five and losing four. Those defeats include a 1-0 loss against Manchester United FC in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup.
• Crvena Zvezda are yet to lose a European home match against an English side, recording five wins and two draws in their seven home games – including a 3-1 win against Leicester City FC which was played on neutral territory at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium in Vienna due to concerns over the political climate in Belgrade.
• In only their second UEFA club competition campaign, Bolton have never played against a side from Serbia.
AaB - Getafe
Getafe CF coach Michael Laudrup will return to his native Denmark on Matchday 4 with hosts Aalborg BK eager to lift themselves off the foot of Group G.
• European debutants Getafe are third in the section after winning their opening tie 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC, but losing at home to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC by the same score on Matchday 3.
• They face RSC Anderlecht at home in their final group stage fixture on 19 December.
• AaB drew 1-1 at home against Anderlecht in their first game, then let a 2-0 half-time lead slip at Tottenham to lose 3-2 on Matchday 3.
• AaB are bottom of the group and are the only side in the section yet to win a game. Wins in both of their remaining fixtures, against Getafe and at Hapoel on 19 December, would guarantee them a place in the last 32.
• Laudrup has spent much of his career flitting between Denmark and Spain.
• Now 43, he scored 37 goals in 104 games for Denmark and also won five straight league titles in Spain with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF.
• Born in Copenhagen, he started his career with Kjobenhavns BK – one of the predecessors of the current FC København – before joining Brøndby IF in 1982. He moved to Juventus in 1983, and spent two seasons on loan with S.S. Lazio before joining Barça in 1989.
• He switched to Madrid in 1994, and then played for Vissel Kobe and AFC Ajax before hanging up his boots in 1998.
• Since then, he has been assistant national team coach with Denmark between 2000 and 2002 and coach of Brøndby between 2002 and 2006. He replaced Bernd Schuster at the Getafe helm in July.
• AaB and Getafe have never met in UEFA club competition, though AaB were drawn against a Spanish side once before, meeting RC Deportivo La Coruña in the first round of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup. They won 1-0 at home but lost 5-0 in the return.
• AaB's Swedish coach Erik Hamrén came up against Spanish opposition during his time in charge of AIK Solna. His side were drawn against Barça in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, losing 3-1 at Camp Nou and then drawing 1-1 in Sweden. Ronaldo scored against them in both legs.
• AaB's Brazilian forward Chrys celebrates his 21st birthday on 6 December, the day of the game against Getafe.
Anderlecht - Tottenham
RSC Anderlecht are preparing to meet Tottenham Hotspur FC for the first time since 1984, when the two sides played each other in the UEFA Cup final over two legs.
• The English side prevailed 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 draws in both legs of the tie, to deny Anderlecht as they attempted to become the first side to defend the UEFA Cup. They beat SL Benfica in the 1982/83 final, but Paul van Himst's side came up short following the second leg at White Hart Lane.
• Paul Miller put Tottenham ahead in the first leg in Brussels but Morten Olsen – now Denmark coach – equalised five minutes from time.
• Alexandre Czerniatynski then put Anderlecht ahead in the second leg, only for Graham Roberts to level late on, taking the game into extra time and then penalties. Roberts, Marc Falco, Gary Stevens and Steve Archibald converted from the spot for Tottenham, with Daniel Thomas missing their final effort. Olsen missed Anderlecht's first, and while Kenneth Brylle Larsen, Enzo Scifo and recently-dismissed coach Frank Vercauteren converted the next three, Arnór Gudjohnsen's miss handed Tottenham victory.
• Arnór Gudjohnsen is the father of FC Barcelona star Eidur Gudjohnsen.
• Also lining up for Anderlecht in that tie were current Belgium coach René Vandereycken and former Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen, now at Chelsea FC.
• Tottenham are top of Group G having played three games. Coach Martin Jol was dismissed after their 2-1 defeat at home by Getafe CF, and they have since won 2-0 at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC and 3-2 at home against Aalborg BK under Juande Ramos.
• A point at Anderlecht would put them in the last 32 and leave former Sevilla FC coach Ramos on course for an unprecedented third successive UEFA Cup triumph.
• Anderlecht, playing in their first European game since Ariël Jacobs replaced Vercauteren as coach, have four points after a 2-0 home win against Hapoel and a 1-1 draw at AaB. Victory would take them through to the last 32 regardless of their Matchday 5 result at Getafe.
• Anderlecht have played 27 games against English sides, winning six, drawing three and losing 18. At home, they have won five, drawn two and lost six.
• They have lost their last six games, home and away, against English sides.
• Tottenham have played five games against Belgian sides, winning two, drawing two and losing one. They have not won in two games on Belgian soil - drawing one and losing one - but beat Club Brugge KV 3-1 at home in last season's UEFA Cup group stage.
• Anderlecht forward Mbo Mpenza celebrates his 31st birthday on 4 December, two days before the Tottenham game.
• Anderlecht midfielder Bart Goor and Tottenham's Hossam Ghaly were team-mates at Feyenoord in 2004/05.
• Anderlecht goalkeeper Davy Schollen and Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora played together at KRC Genk between 2002 and 2004.
Austria Wien - Panionios
successive UEFA Cup group stage defeat as they hope to revive their Group H fortunes against Panionios GSS.
• Appearing in their third group stage campaign, Austria lost their opener 2-1 against FC Girondins de Bordeaux and then 3-0 at Helsingborgs IF on Matchday 3 to spark fears that they might end the group stage with no points for the second season in succession, having lost all of their games in the 2006/07 competition.
• Another defeat would end their chances of progressing, and leave them with a joyless trip to Galatasaray AS for their final game on 19 December.
• One of five Greek sides in the group stage, Panionios drew their opener 1-1 at Helsingborg before losing 3-0 at home to Galatasaray on Matchday 3. Wins against Austria and Bordeaux, in their final group outing, represent their only guaranteed route to qualification.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition but Austria have met Greek opposition in one previous tie, taking on Panathinaikos FC in the first round of the 1982/83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won 2-0 at home but lost 2-1 in Athens.
• Panionios have never played against an Austrian side.
• Panionios coach Ewald Lienen played four games against Austrian sides as a player with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late 1970s, with his team winning three games and losing one. His trips to Austria netted his side a win and a defeat.
• A midfielder with Mönchengladbach in their 1970s prime, Lienen played in two UEFA Cup finals. He was a winner in 1978/79, beating FK Crvena Zvezda 2-1 on aggregate, but lost the following season's final on away goals to Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bordeaux - Helsingborg
Henrik Larsson and Andreas Jakobsson may be making their final professional appearances as Helsingborgs IF round of their successful Group H campaign at FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
• After his side secured qualification with a 3-0 win against FK Austria Wien on Matchday 3, the 36-year-old Larsson said: "It feels great to go through, but I've been here before and I'm happier for many of my team-mates. I've not yet decided what will happen after this season. I'm going to make my decision in the coming days and I'll let everyone know about it as soon as possible."
• The 35-year-old defensive midfielder Jakobsson has agreed to take up a coaching post at lower league side Svalövs BK next year. However, he may yet be persuaded to stay on for a little while longer. "There's one game to go and that's all that I'm thinking about at the moment," he said. "I'm focused on Svalöv after this season, but who knows?"
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition but Bordeaux have played three games against Swedish sides, winning them all.
• Helsingborg's only previous trip to France saw them lose 4-1 at Paris Saint-Germain FC in a 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage game. They drew the home fixture 1-1.
• Larsson has played against Bordeaux before with Celtic FC in a 2000/01 UEFA Cup first round tie. His side lost 2-1 at home and then the striker scored in a 1-1 draw in France as Celtic bowed out.
• Legendary former France defender Laurent Blanc, now coach of Bordeaux, came up against Larsson in two international friendlies, a 0-0 draw in 1997 and a 1-0 win for France a year later.
• Bordeaux will qualify for the Round of 32 with a point against Helsingborg, having won their opening two games against Galatasaray AS and Austria, both 2-1.
• Helsingborg's season is already over, but a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the Allsvenskan has inspired them to do better in Europe.
• The Swedish side boast two of the competition’s three top scorers since the first round – five-goal Larsson and six-goal Razak Omotoyossi.
• The match in Bordeaux is Helsingborg’s 50th in UEFA club competition since making their continental debut in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup.
FC Spartak Moskva and FC Zürich can book their place in the last 32 with a game to spare as they meet in their third Group E game in the Russian capital.
• Spartak won their opener at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 and then earned a 0-0 draw at AC Sparta Praha to take second place in the section. Three points against Swiss champions Zürich would ensure them a top-three finish.
• Zürich won 2-1 at Sparta in their opening game and then beat Toulouse FC 2-0 at home. One more point would leave them certain of a place in the next phase of the competition.
• Zürich are at home against Leverkusen in their final Group E game on 19 December while Spartak travel to Toulouse.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Spartak have played nine games against Swiss sides in UEFA club competition, including a match at home against FC Sion which had to be replayed after it was discovered that the goalposts were 8cm short of regulation height.
• That match took place in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round. Spartak had won the first leg in Switzerland 1-0 and then drew 2-2 at home, only to be told to replay the game because of the miscalculation. They won the replay 5-1.
• In total they have won four games against Swiss sides, drawing two and losing three. At home they have won two, drawn two and lost one. Those stats include the abandoned game against Sion.
• Zürich are playing their first game against Russian opposition.
• Zürich coach Bernard Challandes has been to Russia twice before as coach of the Swiss Under-21 side, drawing 3-3 in a 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier and winning 2-1 in the 2004 qualifying campaign.
• Spartak coach Stanislav Cherchesov played in a 2-0 defeat against Zürich's main Swiss league rivals FC Basel 1893 in one of his last games at European level in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League group stage. The goalkeeper was 39 years and 15 days old.
• Challandes was suspended for the game against Toulouse, while striker Eric Hassli still has two more matches of a three-game ban to serve with both men being punished for their parts in incidents in the 2-1 win at Sparta.
• Spartak midfielder Renat Sabitov will miss the remainder of their 2007 games after breaking his leg in a friendly game against Spanish side Elche CF.
• Leverkusen are at home against Sparta in Thursday's other Group E game.
Bayer Leverkusen - Sparta Pragha
AC Sparta Praha coach Michal Bílek can avenge an old defeat as his side face Michael Skibbe's Bayer 04 Leverkusen in UEFA Cup Group E.
• Leverkusen coach Skibbe came up against Czech opposition in his first UEFA club competition games, leading BV Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back 1-0 wins against FK Teplice in the third qualifying round of the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League.
• Sparta coach Bílek, then nearing the end of his career as a defender and midfielder, was on the losing side in both legs of that game.
• Skibbe never had a significant playing career, being forced to retire in his early 20s after tearing cruciate ligaments three times during a spell at FC Schalke 04. He played just 14 Bundesliga games for the club between 1984 and 1986.
• He moved into coaching at the age of just 22, with the youth teams at Schalke and then Dortmund. Appointed as Dortmund's head coach in 1998 at 32, he became the youngest coach of all time in the Bundesliga.
• Bílek, by contrast, had an excellent playing career, representing Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at international level, and playing with the former at the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals. He spent much of his club career with Sparta, playing abroad with Real Betis Balompié between 1990 and 1992.
• Leverkusen beat Toulouse FC 1-0 at home in their opening game but lost 2-1 at FC Spartak Moskva in their second. A win against Sparta would put them in the last 32 of the competition regardless of the outcome of their final game at FC Zürich.
• Sparta are third in the section with four points, but need a win in their final Group E outing at the BayArena to be certain of progress.
• Leverkusen's young Czech striker Michal Papadopulos may play against two former team-mates, having played with Sparta pair Zdenĕk Pospĕch and Miroslav Matušovič at FC Baník Ostrava.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Leverkusen have played six games against Czech opposition in the past, winning three, drawing two and losing one. At home, they have drawn once and won their last two games against Czech oppositions 2-0 and 5-0.
• Sparta have played ten games against German sides over the years, winning four, drawing two and losing four. In Germany itself, they have won once, drawn twice and lost twice.
Aris - Braga
A win at home against SC Braga will send FC Aris Thessaloniki through to the Round of 32 but their Portuguese guests will not give in easily.
• After two Group F games, Aris are second having drawn 1-1 at Bolton Wanderers FC before overwhelming FK Crvena Zvezda – Aris coach Dušan Bajević's previous club – 3-0 on Matchday 2. Another win would see them through to the last 32 regardless of the result from their final game at FC Bayern München.
• Braga have come from behind to draw both of their Group F games to date, 1-1 at Bolton and 1-1 at home against Bayern.
• Aris boast an awesome home record in UEFA club competition, and are still unbeaten in 17 games in Salonika since making UEFA club competition debut in 1970. They did, however, lose home games in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the non-UEFA affiliated precursor to the UEFA Cup.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Aris have played two games against Portuguese opposition, having been drawn against SL Benfica in the first round of the 1979/80 UEFA Cup. They won 3-1 at home and lost 2-1 in Lisbon to progress, and going on to reach the third round.
• Braga have played two games against Greek opposition too, meeting AEK Athens FC in the first round of the 1966/67 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won the away leg 1-0 and then triumphed 3-2 at home. They were then knocked out in the second round.
• Aris defender Ronaldo Guiaro and Braga forward João Tomás were team-mates at Benfica up until the end of the 2001/02 season.
• Aris coach Dušan Bajević has been involved in eight games against Portuguese sides, or to be more specific, eight games against FC Porto.
• As a player, he scored twice as his AEK Athens FC side thrashed Porto 6-1 at home and lost 4-1 away in the 1978/79 European Champion Clubs' Cup.
• During his time as Olympiacos CFP coach, he was then paired with Porto in three successive UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns - 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/00.
• His side won all three home matches against Porto, drawing one away and losing the other two.
• He thus goes into the game against Braga having won all four of his previous home games against Portuguese opposition.
• Bajević celebrates his 59th birthday on 10 December, four days after the game against Braga.
Crvena Zvezda - Bolton
FK Crvena Zvezda are looking to salvage their UEFA Cup campaign as they seek their first Group F points against draw specialists Bolton Wanderers FC.
• Two games have brought Crvena Zvezda no points. They lost 3-2 at home against FC Bayern München in their opening fixture and then 3-0 away against an FC Aris Thessaloniki side coached by their former boss Dušan Bajević.
• However, wins in their final games against both Bolton and SC Braga would guarantee the Serbian side a place in the last 32.
• Bolton have drawn their home games against Braga and Aris 1-1 either side of a 2-2 draw against Bayern in Munich. A fourth draw might see them reach the next phase of the tournament, but they will be looking for a win. However, they have not won away in their last five European games.
• Both clubs have parted company with coaches since the start of the season. Milorad Kosanović resigned in the wake of the 3-0 defeat at Aris while Sammy Lee was replaced at Bolton following a poor start in the Premier League.
• Aleksandar Janković is the new man in charge at Crvena Zvezda. The 35-year-old spent much of his coaching career as assistant to Slavoljub Muslin at Crvena Zvezda, PFC Levski Sofia, FC Metalurh Donetsk, KSC Lokeren OV and FC Lokomotiv Moskva.
• The game against Bolton will be his first in Europe since taking over from Kosanović.
• New Bolton manager Gary Megson has led Bolton to draws in both of his UEFA Cup games since taking charge but made a major breakthrough in the Premier League on 24 November, leading his side to a 1-0 win against champions Manchester United FC.
• Bolton's Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson celebrates his 27th birthday on 8 December, two days after the game.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Crvena Zvezda have played 15 games against English sides over the years, winning six, drawing five and losing four. Those defeats include a 1-0 loss against Manchester United FC in the 1991 UEFA Super Cup.
• Crvena Zvezda are yet to lose a European home match against an English side, recording five wins and two draws in their seven home games – including a 3-1 win against Leicester City FC which was played on neutral territory at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium in Vienna due to concerns over the political climate in Belgrade.
• In only their second UEFA club competition campaign, Bolton have never played against a side from Serbia.
AaB - Getafe
Getafe CF coach Michael Laudrup will return to his native Denmark on Matchday 4 with hosts Aalborg BK eager to lift themselves off the foot of Group G.
• European debutants Getafe are third in the section after winning their opening tie 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC, but losing at home to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC by the same score on Matchday 3.
• They face RSC Anderlecht at home in their final group stage fixture on 19 December.
• AaB drew 1-1 at home against Anderlecht in their first game, then let a 2-0 half-time lead slip at Tottenham to lose 3-2 on Matchday 3.
• AaB are bottom of the group and are the only side in the section yet to win a game. Wins in both of their remaining fixtures, against Getafe and at Hapoel on 19 December, would guarantee them a place in the last 32.
• Laudrup has spent much of his career flitting between Denmark and Spain.
• Now 43, he scored 37 goals in 104 games for Denmark and also won five straight league titles in Spain with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF.
• Born in Copenhagen, he started his career with Kjobenhavns BK – one of the predecessors of the current FC København – before joining Brøndby IF in 1982. He moved to Juventus in 1983, and spent two seasons on loan with S.S. Lazio before joining Barça in 1989.
• He switched to Madrid in 1994, and then played for Vissel Kobe and AFC Ajax before hanging up his boots in 1998.
• Since then, he has been assistant national team coach with Denmark between 2000 and 2002 and coach of Brøndby between 2002 and 2006. He replaced Bernd Schuster at the Getafe helm in July.
• AaB and Getafe have never met in UEFA club competition, though AaB were drawn against a Spanish side once before, meeting RC Deportivo La Coruña in the first round of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup. They won 1-0 at home but lost 5-0 in the return.
• AaB's Swedish coach Erik Hamrén came up against Spanish opposition during his time in charge of AIK Solna. His side were drawn against Barça in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, losing 3-1 at Camp Nou and then drawing 1-1 in Sweden. Ronaldo scored against them in both legs.
• AaB's Brazilian forward Chrys celebrates his 21st birthday on 6 December, the day of the game against Getafe.
Anderlecht - Tottenham
RSC Anderlecht are preparing to meet Tottenham Hotspur FC for the first time since 1984, when the two sides played each other in the UEFA Cup final over two legs.
• The English side prevailed 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 draws in both legs of the tie, to deny Anderlecht as they attempted to become the first side to defend the UEFA Cup. They beat SL Benfica in the 1982/83 final, but Paul van Himst's side came up short following the second leg at White Hart Lane.
• Paul Miller put Tottenham ahead in the first leg in Brussels but Morten Olsen – now Denmark coach – equalised five minutes from time.
• Alexandre Czerniatynski then put Anderlecht ahead in the second leg, only for Graham Roberts to level late on, taking the game into extra time and then penalties. Roberts, Marc Falco, Gary Stevens and Steve Archibald converted from the spot for Tottenham, with Daniel Thomas missing their final effort. Olsen missed Anderlecht's first, and while Kenneth Brylle Larsen, Enzo Scifo and recently-dismissed coach Frank Vercauteren converted the next three, Arnór Gudjohnsen's miss handed Tottenham victory.
• Arnór Gudjohnsen is the father of FC Barcelona star Eidur Gudjohnsen.
• Also lining up for Anderlecht in that tie were current Belgium coach René Vandereycken and former Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen, now at Chelsea FC.
• Tottenham are top of Group G having played three games. Coach Martin Jol was dismissed after their 2-1 defeat at home by Getafe CF, and they have since won 2-0 at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC and 3-2 at home against Aalborg BK under Juande Ramos.
• A point at Anderlecht would put them in the last 32 and leave former Sevilla FC coach Ramos on course for an unprecedented third successive UEFA Cup triumph.
• Anderlecht, playing in their first European game since Ariël Jacobs replaced Vercauteren as coach, have four points after a 2-0 home win against Hapoel and a 1-1 draw at AaB. Victory would take them through to the last 32 regardless of their Matchday 5 result at Getafe.
• Anderlecht have played 27 games against English sides, winning six, drawing three and losing 18. At home, they have won five, drawn two and lost six.
• They have lost their last six games, home and away, against English sides.
• Tottenham have played five games against Belgian sides, winning two, drawing two and losing one. They have not won in two games on Belgian soil - drawing one and losing one - but beat Club Brugge KV 3-1 at home in last season's UEFA Cup group stage.
• Anderlecht forward Mbo Mpenza celebrates his 31st birthday on 4 December, two days before the Tottenham game.
• Anderlecht midfielder Bart Goor and Tottenham's Hossam Ghaly were team-mates at Feyenoord in 2004/05.
• Anderlecht goalkeeper Davy Schollen and Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora played together at KRC Genk between 2002 and 2004.
Austria Wien - Panionios
successive UEFA Cup group stage defeat as they hope to revive their Group H fortunes against Panionios GSS.
• Appearing in their third group stage campaign, Austria lost their opener 2-1 against FC Girondins de Bordeaux and then 3-0 at Helsingborgs IF on Matchday 3 to spark fears that they might end the group stage with no points for the second season in succession, having lost all of their games in the 2006/07 competition.
• Another defeat would end their chances of progressing, and leave them with a joyless trip to Galatasaray AS for their final game on 19 December.
• One of five Greek sides in the group stage, Panionios drew their opener 1-1 at Helsingborg before losing 3-0 at home to Galatasaray on Matchday 3. Wins against Austria and Bordeaux, in their final group outing, represent their only guaranteed route to qualification.
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition but Austria have met Greek opposition in one previous tie, taking on Panathinaikos FC in the first round of the 1982/83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won 2-0 at home but lost 2-1 in Athens.
• Panionios have never played against an Austrian side.
• Panionios coach Ewald Lienen played four games against Austrian sides as a player with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late 1970s, with his team winning three games and losing one. His trips to Austria netted his side a win and a defeat.
• A midfielder with Mönchengladbach in their 1970s prime, Lienen played in two UEFA Cup finals. He was a winner in 1978/79, beating FK Crvena Zvezda 2-1 on aggregate, but lost the following season's final on away goals to Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bordeaux - Helsingborg
Henrik Larsson and Andreas Jakobsson may be making their final professional appearances as Helsingborgs IF round of their successful Group H campaign at FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
• After his side secured qualification with a 3-0 win against FK Austria Wien on Matchday 3, the 36-year-old Larsson said: "It feels great to go through, but I've been here before and I'm happier for many of my team-mates. I've not yet decided what will happen after this season. I'm going to make my decision in the coming days and I'll let everyone know about it as soon as possible."
• The 35-year-old defensive midfielder Jakobsson has agreed to take up a coaching post at lower league side Svalövs BK next year. However, he may yet be persuaded to stay on for a little while longer. "There's one game to go and that's all that I'm thinking about at the moment," he said. "I'm focused on Svalöv after this season, but who knows?"
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition but Bordeaux have played three games against Swedish sides, winning them all.
• Helsingborg's only previous trip to France saw them lose 4-1 at Paris Saint-Germain FC in a 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage game. They drew the home fixture 1-1.
• Larsson has played against Bordeaux before with Celtic FC in a 2000/01 UEFA Cup first round tie. His side lost 2-1 at home and then the striker scored in a 1-1 draw in France as Celtic bowed out.
• Legendary former France defender Laurent Blanc, now coach of Bordeaux, came up against Larsson in two international friendlies, a 0-0 draw in 1997 and a 1-0 win for France a year later.
• Bordeaux will qualify for the Round of 32 with a point against Helsingborg, having won their opening two games against Galatasaray AS and Austria, both 2-1.
• Helsingborg's season is already over, but a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the Allsvenskan has inspired them to do better in Europe.
• The Swedish side boast two of the competition’s three top scorers since the first round – five-goal Larsson and six-goal Razak Omotoyossi.
• The match in Bordeaux is Helsingborg’s 50th in UEFA club competition since making their continental debut in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup.
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