Dortmund look to finish job in Marseille

Borussia Dortmund's dream of another tilt at the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds remains alive and they will be looking to complete their quest in the away fixture against Olympique de Marseille.

• Last season's runners-up are on nine points, the same as SSC Napoli and three behind Arsenal FC with those two sides meeting in Italy. Victory will mean Dortmund advance regardless of the other result, because of their superior head-to-head record against both Arsenal and Napoli.

• Marseille, who are still looking for their first point in Group F and parted company with coach Élie Baup on 7 December with sporting director José Anigo taking temporary charge, lost 3-0 in Dortmund on 1 October with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice, the second from the spot after Marco Reus's free-kick had made it 2-0.

• The French side's two home games to date have both ended in 2-1 defeats, against Arsenal on matchday one and Napoli in their third fixture. Dortmund started with a 2-1 reverse in Italy before winning by the same scoreline at Arsenal on matchday three.

Previous meetings
• The teams met in the 2011/12 group stage when Marseille won 3-0 at home and 3-2 away.

• At the Stade Vélodrome, the first competitive fixture between the teams, OM took the points thanks to goals from André Ayew (20, 69 pen) either side of Loïc Rémy's 62nd-minute effort. The hosts had substitute Jordan Ayew sent off late on.

• The lineups in Marseille on 28 September 2011 were:
Marseille: Mandanda, Azpilicueta, Diawara, N'Koulou, Morel, Lucho González (Amalfitano 73), Diarra, Kaboré, Valbuena, A Ayew (Sabo 89), Rémy (J Ayew 71).
Dortmund: Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Subotić, Hummels, Schmelzer, Bender, Kehl, Götze, Kagawa (Perišić 63), Grosskreutz (Błaszczykowski 63), Lewandowski (Barrios 72).

• The encounter in Germany, on matchday six, propelled Marseille to the round of 16 in dramatic circumstances. Dortmund, still with hopes of qualifying themselves, built a 2-0 lead through Jakub Błaszczykowski (23) and a Mats Hummels penalty (32). Marseille responded through Rémy (45+4) and André Ayew (84) but were still going out until substitute Mathieu Valbuena's 87th-minute winner.

• Marseille have since had two contests with German visitors, losing 2-0 against FC Bayern München (a 4-0 aggregate defeat) in the 2011/12 quarter-final and drawing 2-2 with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage with Jordan Ayew scoring. OM lost 2-0 away.

• Marseille's overall record in 15 fixtures against German sides is W5 D3 L7 (W4 D1 L2 at home).

• Dortmund have not scored in their last four visits to France. Before the 2011 contest they last faced Ligue 1 opposition in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, drawing 0-0 at Paris Saint-Germain.

• Their best result came at AJ Auxerre in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League quarter-final when a 1-0 second-leg victory – their only success in France – secured a 4-1 aggregate triumph on their way to lifting the trophy for the first and only time.

• Dortmund's record in 15 games against French sides reads W5 D5 L5 (W1 D2 L4 in France).

Match background
• Last season's absence ended a run of five successive UEFA Champions League campaigns for Marseille. In 2011/12, when they eventually lost to Bayern, they made it to the quarter-finals for the first time since becoming the tournament's inaugural winners in 1993.

• In 2011/12 Marseille lost twice at the Stade Vélodrome in the group and also to Bayern. The two defeats in this campaign mean they have suffered 12 losses in their last 23 home UEFA Champions League fixtures, including five in the last six, with only eight victories.

• Dortmund are in their ninth UEFA Champions League campaign. Last season was their most successful since lifting the trophy, remaining unbeaten until the semi-final second leg when they lost 2-0 at Real Madrid CF. They won the tie 4-3 on aggregate after Lewandowski scored all four in a 4-1 first-leg win in Dortmund.

• Dortmund drew four of their other five away games in last season's competition, the exception a 4-1 group stage win at AFC Ajax.

Team ties
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has played for four clubs in France: LOSC Lille and Dijon FCO (2009/10), AS Monaco FC (2010/11) and AS Saint-Étienne (2011-13). His record in seven meetings with OM is one win, three draws and three defeats.

• Aubameyang gave Gabon the lead against Souleymane Diawara's Senegal in a friendly played in Sannois Saint-Gratien on 17 November 2010, Senegal recovering to win 2-1.

• Aubameyang scored the second-half goal that give Gabon a 1-0 win against Saber Khalifa's Tunisia during the group stage of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

• On 6 February 2013, Valbuena scored the opening goal in France's 2-1 defeat in a friendly against Germany at the Stade de France on 6 February 2013. Hummels and İlkay Gündoğan featured for the visitors.

• Mitch Langerak was in goal for Australia on 11 October when a French team, who included Valbuena, put six goals past him for no reply in a Paris friendly. Valbuena came on while Stéve Mandanda, Rod Fanni and Dimitri Payet were unused substitutes.