Arsenal v Anderlecht background

Arsenal FC will be hoping to register a second win against RSC Anderlecht and further strengthen their position in Group D.

• A first goal in over a year from Kieran Gibbs (89) and a late effort from Lukas Podolski (90+1) earned Arsenal a 2-1 victory over the Belgian champions on matchday three. Andy Najar had headed the hosts in front

Match background

Arsenal
• The Gunners are in the group stage for the 17th successive season. Last term they departed in the round of 16 for the fourth year in a row, FC Bayern München ending their hopes for the second campaign running. Arsenal lost 2-0 at home and 3-1 on aggregate.

• Four of their previous seven fixtures against Belgian sides have involved R. Standard de Liège, Arsenal beating them away (3-2) and home (2-0) in the 2009/10 group stage. Cyriac appeared as a second-half substitute for Standard at the Arsenal Stadium on 24 November 2009.

• In the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup second round, the Gunners inflicted Standard's worst result in UEFA club competition, a 7-0 home defeat completing a 10-0 aggregate loss. It remains Arsenal's biggest away win in UEFA competition.

• Their other games were against KFC Winterslag in the 1981/82 UEFA Cup second round, the London side going out on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw.

• The Gunners began this season with a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund before a 4-1 home victory over Galatasaray AŞ, Danny Welbeck scoring a hat-trick.

Anderlecht
• The Belgian champions opened Group D with a 1-1 draw at Galatasaray before losing 3-0 at home to Dortmund.

• Matchday three was Anderlecht's seventh defeat in eight encounters with English opponents – they had lost six in a row before drawing 1-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage.

• Anderlecht have played 29 times against English sides (W6 D4 L19). Away their record is W0 D1 L12, the only time they avoided defeat in regulation time came in the 1984 UEFA Cup final when they drew 1-1 at White Hart Lane. The home leg with Tottenham had also ended 1-1, and Spurs won the penalty shoot-out 4-3.

• The Belgian side lost on their first four visits to England – conceding 19 goals without reply. Their first foray ended in a 10-0 defeat at Manchester United FC in the 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round; that remains their heaviest European defeat.

• Anderlecht are in the group stage for a third successive year – the first time in eight years that they have achieved that feat – and the 11th time in all.

• Last year they finished fourth in their group with a single point, drawing away against Paris Saint-Germain. They lost all three home matches, conceding 11 goals and scoring just twice.

• The Belgian champions have finished bottom of the group in all seven group stage campaigns since they reached the last 16 (qualifying for the second group stage) in 2000/01.

• In those seven seasons, Anderlecht have won just four fixtures.

Coach and player links
• Anthony Vanden Borre played for Portsmouth FC in 2009/10 and appeared as a second-half substitute in both Premier League games against Arsenal, the Gunners winning 4-1 each time.

• Besnik Hasi has lost all eight matches in which he has competed against English sides (including two against the England national team) as a player and coach.

Match facts

Arsenal
• Wojciech Szczęsny is available after serving a one-game suspension on matchday three.

• A second-half double from Alexis Sánchez, taking his tally to five in his last four appearances, and Calum Chambers' first goal in senior football helped the north London club to a 3-0 defeat of Burnley FC on Saturday. 

• Arsène Wenger's side are 23 home matches unbeaten in the Premier League, since a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa FC on the opening day of last season. 

• The 2-0 victory at Sunderland AFC – in which Alexis scored twice – on 25 October was the Gunners' 2,000th league win.

• Arsenal have won four of their ten league games this season, four fewer than at the same stage last term.

• Theo Walcott (out since 4 January, left knee) made his comeback as an 80th-minute substitute against Burnley. Jack Wilshere (knee) has not played since matchday three.

• September recipient Alexis was also voted Arsenal's player of the month for October.

• Laurent Koscielny has not featured since returning from international duty in mid-October with an Achilles problem.

Anderlecht
• Standard inflicted Hasi's team's first domestic defeat of the season when they prevailed 2-0 at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on 26 October.

• Anderlecht responded with a 3-2 league victory at KV Kortrijk three days later.

• The Purple and Whites required a 91st-minute equaliser from Cyriac to salvage a 1-1 home draw against KSC Lokeren OV on Saturday. Anderlecht have won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions.

• Fabrice N'Sakala suffered knee ligament damage in training on 3 September and is expected to be out until November at the earliest. Steven Defour suffered a calf injury against Lokeren.

• Bram Nuytinck sustained a toe injury on matchday one. He returned on 1 October against Dortmund, but has not played since.