End in sight for Elfsborg odyssey

IF Elfsborg's mammoth European campaign could well end at Villarreal CF, with even a win being no guarantee of a place in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.

• Elfsborg finished fourth in the Swedish league this season after winning the title in 2006. Having started their 2007/08 European quest in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, this is their 12th European game of the season.

• The UEFA Cup group stage has been a steep learning curve for the Boras-based side. Having drawn their opener 1-1 at home against AEK Athens FC, they lost 6-1 at ACF Fiorentina on Matchday 2 and went down 3-1 at home against FK Mladá Boleslav in their next game.

• They end their Group C commitments at El Madrigal knowing that anything other than a win against Manuel Pellegrini's side will mark the end of their European travails.

• A victory could see them go through, but they would be dependent on an unlikely pattern of results elsewhere, with goal difference likely to prove crucial.

• Villarreal, quarter-finalists in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, drew 1-1 in their opening Group C game at home against Fiorentina but moved on to four points with a 2-1 Matchday 2 win at Mladá Boleslav.

• A win against Elfsborg will guarantee them a place in the Round of 32, but anything less would leave them with something to play for as they visit AEK in their final Group C game on 20 December.

• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.

• Villarreal met a Swedish side in the first round of the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, winning 2-1 at Hammarby and then completing an emphatic aggregate victory with a 3-0 triumph at home.

• Elfsborg, meanwhile, have already been to Spain this year. The 2006 Swedish champions met Valencia CF in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, losing 3-0 away and 2-1 at home to bow out of the competition, and start their UEFA Cup odyssey.

• Villarreal have yet to lose a home game in two UEFA Cup group stage campaigns, winning two and drawing one. They previously appeared in the group stage in 2004/05.

• Villarreal recently agreed a deal to allow unsettled midfielder Juan Román Riquelme to return to Argentina to join CA Boca Juniors when the transfer window opens. The 29-year-old was dropped by Villarreal coach Pellegrini last Christmas and has not played for the club since.

• Mladá Boleslav are at home against AEK in Wednesday's other Group C game.