Sevilla seek to overhaul Arsenal

Arsenal FC secured their place in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round three weeks ago but there is still work for them to do to clinch first place in Group H. With three successive victories following their defeat at the Arsenal Stadium on Matchday 1, Sevilla FC are just a point behind and will overtake the London club should they beat them at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.

• Of more relevance as Sevilla pursue a place in the knockout rounds in their UEFA Champions League debut season is the five-point advantage they hold over SK Slavia Praha, the team they face in the Czech Republic on Matchday 6. They reached that satisfying position when a goal in each half from Brazilian midfielder Renato gave the Spanish side a comfortable victory on Matchday 4 away to FC Steaua Bucureşti.

• Over the course of their UEFA Cup campaigns over the last two seasons – both of which ended with the Andalusian side holding the trophy aloft – Sevilla faced three opponents from England. In their only home fixture they defeated Tottenham Hotspur FC 2-1 in last season's quarter-final before drawing 2-2 away. The previous year they had drawn 1-1 away to Bolton Wanderers FC in the group stage before beating Middlesbrough FC 4-0 in the final in Eindhoven.

• Arsenal were fortunate to claim a point on Matchday 4 with a goalless draw away to Slavia as goalkeeper Manuel Almunia twice denied the Czech side revenge for their 7-0 thrashing two weeks before.

• Sevilla stepped out for their UEFA Champions League debut on 19 September full of optimism but Arsenal swiftly introduced them to the realities of this level as they beat them 3-0 in London. Cesc Fabregas' deflected first-half shot set the 2006 finalists on their way before Robin van Persie added a second a minute before the hour and substitute Eduardo da Silva rounded off a fine victory in added time. Arsenal followed up this start with a 1-0 win in Romania against Steaua, Van Persie getting the winner 14 minutes from time. Sevilla bounced back on the same night to beat Slavia 4-2 at home, Frédéric Kanouté, Luis Fabiano, Julien Escudé and Arouna Koné the men on target.

• Arsenal have remained unbeaten in their last three trips to Spain, drawing 0-0 against Villarreal CF in the semi-final second leg two seasons ago to clinch a place in the final of Europe's premier club competition. In that campaign's first knockout round they had won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu – the first time English opposition had prevailed away to Real Madrid CF.

• Before the Madrid triumph, Arsenal had won 3-2 at RC Celta de Vigo in the first knockout round of the 2003/04 tournament. Their previous six matches in Spain had brought five straight defeats and a draw. The Gunners have twice lost in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals to Spanish sides. Valencia CF beat them in 1979/80 and Real Zaragoza triumphed in the 1994/95 showpiece.

• The other game in the section features Steaua at home to Slavia.