Toulouse omens good for Leverkusen

Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have fond memories of their previous tie against Toulouse FC as the French team return to Germany nearly 20 years on.

• Leverkusen and Toulouse have met before, with Erich Ribbeck's German side knocking their French opponents – then coached by Jacques Santini – out in the second round on the way to winning the 1987/88 UEFA Cup. A 1-1 draw in Toulouse was followed by a 1-0 win for Leverkusen in Germany, with Christian Schreier scoring the winner.

• That tie represented Leverkusen's first experience of French opposition, though they have now played a total of 10 games against Ligue 1 sides, winning four, drawing three and losing three. At the BayArena, they have won three games, drawn one and lost one.

• The previous game against Leverkusen was Toulouse's only experience of German opposition.

• Both Toulouse's Francileudo Santos and Leverkusen's Karim Haggui started their careers at the same club, Tunisian side Etoile Sportive du Sahel.

• Young Leverkusen midfielder Ricardo Faty, who is on loan from AS Roma, started his career in his native France at RC Strasbourg. However, he played just seven Ligue 1 games before joining Roma in the summer of 2006.

• Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe's only previous game at home against French opposition as Leverkusen coach ended in a 3-0 UEFA Cup win against RC Lens in last season's round of 16.

• Toulouse coach Elie Baup has fond memories of his only previous tie against German opposition. His FC Girondins de Bordeaux side won 4-1 at home against Werder Bremen in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup third round, progressing following a 0-0 draw at the Weserstadion. Current Leverkusen star Simon Rolfes was a trainee at Bremen at that time.

• Toulouse's only away win in UEFA club competition in seven attempts came over 20 years ago as they won 1-0 at Panionios GSS in a UEFA Cup first round tie. That victory set them up to meet Leverkusen in the next round.

• AC Sparta Praha are at home against FC Zürich in the day's other Group E game.