On-song Sevilla keen to contine roll

With one round of games to go in UEFA Champions League Group H, Sevilla FC have seized top spot ahead of Arsenal FC and they will be looking to cement that position away to a SK Slavia Praha side that lie third and will finish their debut campaign there regardless of results in the final matches.

• Before Matchday 5 Slavia still had hopes of reaching the knockout stages but were unable to win away at FC Steaua Bucureşti while Sevilla's victory over Arsenal made that result irrelevant anyway.

• In fact Slavia were heading for their third defeat in the section following Valentin Badea's early goal for Steaua. Then Zdeněk Šenkeřík put away a late header for the visitors to confirm their UEFA Cup Round of 32 berth.

• After a 2-1 home win against Steaua on Matchday 1, Karel Jarolím's team were hoping to continue their good start away to Sevilla but the UEFA Cup holders rediscovered their best form in scintillating fashion, scoring after only eight minutes through Frédéric Kanouté. Daniel Pudil levelled for the visitors but Luis Fabiano restored Sevilla's advantage and second-half goals from Julien Escudé and substitute Arouna Koné crowned a fine win. David Kalivoda scored an added-time consolation for Slavia.

• Before that game Slavia had met teams from Spain on four occasions and recorded only one victory, the home game with RC Celta de Vigo in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. However the 2-0 win was not enough to take the Czech team through as they had lost the first game 3-0. They also met Valencia CF in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup second round when they bowed out of the competition, losing 1-0 at home followed by a 0-0 result in Spain.

• Sevilla can feel satisfied with their first-ever UEFA Champions League campaign, quickly putting aside the disappointment of the 3-0 Matchday 1 defeat at Arsenal FC to post four successive wins. Revenge against the Gunners at the Ramón Sanchéz-Pizjuán Stadium two weeks ago also brought the considerable bonus of securing a place in the last 16.

• They went behind to Eduardo da Silva's early goal but before the break Seydou Keita and Luis Fabiano had put the Andalusian club in front. Kanouté then sealed Arsenal's first defeat in any competition this season with a late penalty. Now Manuel Jiménez's team need only match Arsenal's result at home to Steaua to win the group, though if they lose and the English team fail to win, Sevilla will finish top.

• Before last season Sevilla had not met opposition from the Czech Republic but the UEFA Cup group stage saw them travel to play FC Slovan Liberec where they gained a point with a 0-0 draw.