Anderlecht scent opportunity against Milan

RSC Anderlecht can upset the apple cart when they host Group C rivals AC Milan on matchday five.

• Fresh from a home success against FC Zenit St Petersburg last time out, the third-placed Belgian champions would leapfrog Milan into second place in the group should they beat Massimiliano Allegri's men. That would take them tantalisingly close to a first appearance in the knockout stages, though they did reach the 16-team second group stage in 2000/01.

• Milan, who have not fallen at this hurdle since 1999/2000, will secure their progress if they win and FC Zenit St Petersburg fail to beat Málaga CF in the day's other Group C fixture.

Past meetings
• The clubs' 0-0 draw at San Siro in September was their fifth encounter overall. They first met in the 1993/94 group stage, trading two goalless draws. Fabio Capello's Milan finished top of that section, while Jan Boskamp's Anderlecht were bottom.

• Milan won both contests in the 2006/07 group stage. Despite Daniel Bonera's dismissal, Kaká earned Carlo Ancelotti's team a 1-0 win in Brussels, and then hit a hat-trick in a 4-1 home victory. Roland Juhász scored for Frank Vercauteren's visitors.

• The lineups for Milan's victory at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium on 17 October 2006 were:
Anderlecht: Zítka, Vanden Borre (Legear 84), De Man, Juhász, Deschacht, Boussoufa (Akın Serhat 84), Vanderhaeghe (Hassan 70), Biglia, Goor, Frutos, Tchité.
Milan: Dida, Bonera, Kaladze, Nesta, Jankulovski, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf (Brocchi 81), Kaká, Inzaghi (Gilardino 72), Oliveira (Cafu 50).

Match background
• Anderlecht's 1-0 victory over Zenit on matchday four was their first home success in the UEFA Champions League proper in nine years – and now they are seeking two in the space of 15 days. Including qualifying matches, though, John van den Brom's side have recorded three home wins from four this season.

• Anderlecht's home record against opponents from Serie A is W7 D4 L4. It is eight matches and almost 12 years since their last win against an Italian team, home or away – a 1-0 success over S.S. Lazio in the UEFA Champions League second group stage in Brussels on 22 November 2000, courtesy of Tomasz Radzinski's goal.

• Milan did not concede on any of their last five visits to Belgium – three of them 1-0 victories. Overall, their record in Belgium is W3 D5 L1, that sole defeat a 2-0 loss to Club Brugge KV in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

• Anderlecht lost 2-0 to UC Sampdoria in the 1990 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

Team ties
• Van den Brom made his final European appearance as a player at San Siro, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute in Vitesse's 0-0 first-leg draw with FC Internazionale Milano in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup second round.

• Van den Brom's only other appearance against Italian opponents was in AFC Ajax's 2-0 second-leg defeat at Parma FC in the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals. He was an unused substitute when Ajax beat Milan home and away in the 1994/95 group stage but did not feature when they overcame the Rossoneri again in that season's final.

• As a player Allegri helped Cagliari Calcio beat KV Mechelen in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup third round, scoring in their 2-0 second-leg home victory. It was his only goal in European competition.

• Urby Emanuelson faced Anderlecht with Ajax in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage, playing in a 1-1 away draw and scoring in their 3-1 home defeat.

• Kevin-Prince Boateng was an unused substitute when Tottenham Hotspur FC drew 0-0 at Anderlecht in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage.

• Guillaume Gillet was in the Belgium team that beat Nigel de Jong's Netherlands 4-2 in a Brussels friendly in August.

• Sacha Kljestan was a substitute in United States' 1-0 friendly win against Italy in February. Antonio Nocerino started for Italy while Ignazio Abate, Riccardo Montolivo and Giampaolo Pazzini appeared off the bench.

• Ronald Vargas scored when Venezuela earned their first ever win over a Brazil team including Pato and Robinho – a 2-0 success in a June 2008 friendly in Foxborough, United States.