Lille lead three-pronged Gallic charge

One of three French teams remaining in the UEFA Cup, LOSC Lille Métropole are hoping to break their country's competition duck this season. Ligue 1 has supplied winners in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup but the UEFA Cup has until now proved elusive. However, after an impressive European campaign this season, Lille are among the favourites in the UEFA Cup although they must first negotiate their way past Sevilla FC, whom they beat in last year’s competition.

• Lille's UEFA Champions League Group D challenge started sluggishly, picking up just two points from games against SL Benfica, Villarreal CF and Manchester United FC. The Ligue 1 side defeated the English Premiership outfit in the reverse fixture at the Stade de France as Milenko Ačimovič scored what proved to be their only goal of the campaign. A goalless draw against Benfica followed before Lille ended with a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Villarreal.

• A UEFA Cup berth was their reward and goals from Nicolas Fauvergue, Geoffrey Dernis and Peter Odemwingie saw them cruising against FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 32. Brandão and Ciprian Marica struck late on to leave the tie wide open but Claude Puel's side held on in Ukraine to seal their passage.

• Sevilla had no such problems against FC Lokomotiv Moskva, as they eased through 3-0 on aggregate. A second-half strike from Jordi López gave the Spanish side the initiative in freezing conditions in the Russian capital and goals from Vicenzo Maresca and Antonio Puerta then saw them through at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium. It was the continuation of an impressive UEFA Cup campaign that saw them escape a congested Group H as section winners. Javier Saviola was in the goals as Sevilla beat Beşiktaş JK and Vitória SC, while drawing with Bolton Wanderers FC and losing to FC Zenit St. Petersburg.

• Despite playing 50 games in UEFA club competition since making their debut on the European stage almost 50 years ago, Sevilla have only once before encountered French opposition. Last season, they were paired with Lille in the group stage of the UEFA Cup, with the French side winning 1-0 at home thanks to a 77th-minute goal from Matt Moussilou. Lille went on to finish top of the group with Sevilla second.

• That is Lille's only victory against Spanish opposition in four attempts to date, since making their debut in the UEFA Champions League in 2000/01. They were drawn against RC Deportivo La Coruña in the first group stage in their maiden campaign. Both matches finished in 1-1 draws with Adekamni Olufade scoring after 87 minutes in the first contest played at the Félix-Bollaert stadium in Lens, and Bruno Cheyrou cancelling out an early Deportivo lead with a penalty in La Coruna.

• This season they were held to a goalless draw by Villarreal at the Stade de France but went into their last fixture with their hopes of a last-16 berth still alive. However, needing to win their last game at El Madrigal to reach the last 16 at the expense of their opponents, Lille were undone by a second-half strike from substitute Antonio Guayre.