Sevilla and Liverpool seek decisive win

Sevilla FC and Liverpool FC both have the chance to book their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when they meet in Spain on matchday five.

• Liverpool lead Group E on eight points and will qualify with a win, or with a draw if third-placed FC Spartak Moskva lose at home to bottom side NK Maribor.

• Sevilla, who earned a 2-2 draw at Anfield on matchday one, are second with seven points and will qualify if they win.

Previous meetings
• Before this season, the clubs' sole past encounter came in Basel in May 2016, when Sevilla came from a goal down to become the first team to win the UEFA Europa League – and its UEFA Cup forerunner – for a third successive season. Initially it looked like being Liverpool's night as Daniel Sturridge fired them into a 35th-minute lead, but Kevin Gameiro levelled 17 seconds into the second period and two subsequent Coke goals (64, 70) gave Sevilla a fifth triumph in the competition.

• The line-ups at St. Jakob-Park on 18 May 2016 were:
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Touré (Benteke 82), Lovren, Moreno, Milner, Can, Lallana (Allen 73), Coutinho, Firmino (Origi 69), Sturridge.
Sevilla: Soria, Rami (Kolodziejczak 78), Escudero, Ferreira, Carriço, Krychowiak, N'Zonzi, Banega (Cristóforo 90+3), Coke, Vitolo, Gameiro (Iborra 89).

Match background

Sevilla
• Sevilla have won both their home games in Group E. A Wissam Ben Yedder hat-trick secured a 3-0 victory over NK Maribor on matchday two before Spartak were beaten 2-1 in the most recent round of fixtures.

• The Spanish side have won six of their last eight European home matches, losing one and drawing the other, against İstanbul Başakşehir in this season's play-offs (2-2).

• Sevilla suffered their first home loss to English visitors when succumbing 3-1 to Manchester City FC in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage. They were 2-1 winners against Leicester City FC in last season's round of 16 first leg, but bowed out after going down 2-0 away.

• The Andalusian club's record at home to English teams is W3 D0 L1.

• Last term, Sevilla made it to the round of 16 for the first time since 2009/10 – but they have never gone further in the UEFA Champions League era. This is their fifth group stage campaign and their third in a row.

• Sevilla qualified by finishing fourth in the 2016/17 Spanish Liga. They knocked out Turkey's İstanbul Başakşehir in August's play-offs, winning the away first leg 2-1 before a 2-2 draw in southern Spain.

Liverpool
• Liverpool have lost 1-0 on each of their last three visits to Spain, most recently going down at Villarreal CF in their 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg. The 3-0 home win in the return is Liverpool's sole victory in their last six matches against Liga opposition.

• The Reds still have a better win ratio against Liga opponents on Spanish soil than they do at Anfield. Their away record against Spanish clubs is W7 D4 L5, compared with a home record of W5 D7 L5.

• Liverpool were 7-0 winners at Maribor on matchday three, equalling their club-record European away victory. They have nevertheless won just three of their last 15 European away games (D7 L5), having drawn 1-1 at Spartak in their first Group E away match. Before triumphing at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in their play-off first leg, the Merseysiders' last away success had been a 1-0 UEFA Europa League group stage win at FC Rubin Kazan on 5 November 2015.

• The five-time European champions did not take part in UEFA competition in 2016/17, when they finished fourth in the Premier League. They are aiming to reach the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2008/09.

• The Reds earned their place in the group stage – for a tenth time overall – with a 6-3 aggregate play-off victory over Hoffenheim, winning 2-1 away and 4-2 at home.

Coach and player links
• Alberto Moreno came through the ranks at home-town club Sevilla, making 62 first-team outings before joining Liverpool in 2014.

• Daniel Carriço played in England with Reading FC in 2013; one of his three appearances came in a 0-0 home draw with Liverpool in April 2013.

• Steven N'Zonzi played in England from 2009 to 2015, with Blackburn Rovers FC and then Stoke City FC. His record in 11 meetings with Liverpool was W2 D3 L6, although he scored in his most recent encounter – a 6-1 home win for Stoke on 24 May 2015.

• Nolito bagged four goals in 19 Premier League games for Manchester City FC in 2016/17.

• Jesús Navas was a Manchester City player between 2013 and 2017, with the record W2 D1 L4 against Liverpool. He played in the team that beat the Reds on penalties in the 2016 League Cup final.

• Philippe Coutinho had a loan spell with RCD Espanyol in 2012, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Sevilla in his final match on 13 May 2012.

Match facts

Sevilla
• Sergio Escudero will incur a suspension with his next booking.

• Sevilla have scored just 14 goals in 12 Liga games this season.

• Sevilla have not drawn a game in any competition since matchday one (W8 L5).

• Steven N'Zonzi made his debut for France in the 2-0 friendly win against Wales on 10 November.

• Simon Kjær played every minute of both legs as Denmark reached the World Cup finals with a 5-1 aggregate victory in the play-offs against the Republic of Ireland.

• Éver Banega was on target in Argentina's 4-2 defeat against Nigeria in their friendly on 14 November.

Liverpool
• Liverpool have won their last four games, each by a three-goal margin, in all competitions since losing 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur FC on 22 October.

• Nine of the 13 goals Liverpool scored in those four victories came in the second half.

• Mohamed Salah scored twice in Saturday's 3-0 win against Southampton FC to go to nine goals in his first 12 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, overtaking Robbie Fowler's previous best for the Reds in the competition and making him the league's top scorer for 2017/18.

• Sadio Mané helped Senegal qualify for the World Cup finals with a 2-0 defeat of South Africa on 10 November.

• Dejan Lovren played every minute of both play-off legs as Croatia beat Greece 4-1 on aggregate to reach the World Cup finals.

• Joe Gomez made his England debut in the goalless draw against Germany on 10 November and a first start against Brazil four days later, when Dominic Solanke won his first cap.

• Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mané are on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or. The winner will be announced on 6 December.

• Mané suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury in Senegal's game against South Africa but started on Saturday.

• Adam Lallana (thigh) and Nathaniel Clyne (back) are yet to feature this season.