Nothing left to lose for Toulouse

Toulouse FC will look to end an unprecedented eight-game wait for a win in UEFA club competition as they take on FC Spartak Moskva with little more than pride to play for.

• Defeats in their opening three Group E games ended Toulouse's hopes of a last-32 place and saw them go seven games since the start of this season without a win in European competition – they lost twice against Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, then progressed to the UEFA Cup group stage on away goals after 0-0 and 1-1 draws against PFC Levski Sofia.

• Should they fail to win against Spartak, they would break an unfortunate record. Several have managed seven, but no side has ever gone eight games without a win in a single UEFA competition season.

• Spartak are already sure of a place in the Round of 32, but a win would guarantee them top spot in the group – and a tie against one of the sides finishing third in their section.

• Toulouse and Spartak met in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup second round, in what was only the French side’s second tie in UEFA club competition, although they had previously played in the non-UEFA affiliated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1966.

• Toulouse won the home leg 3-1, with Gérald Passi beating legendary Spartak goalkeeper Rinat Dasaev to score Toulouse's only hat-trick in European competition to date.

• However, while Jacques Santini's side took the lead in the second leg, two goals apiece from Andrei Rudakov and Sergei Novikov, either side of a Sergei Rodionov strike, gave Konstantin Beskov's Spartak a 5-1 win.

• That latter remains one of Toulouse's two worst results in UEFA club competition, matched only by their 4-0 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round defeat against Liverpool FC this season. They also lost 5-1 at Dinamo Pitesti in the aforementioned 1966 Fairs Cup tie.

• Toulouse coach Elie Baup may have fonder memories of Moscow, having played Spartak twice during his time as coach of FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the first group stage of the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League. Sylvain Wiltord and Johan Micoud scored a goal apiece in both legs as Bordeaux won 2-1 home and away.

• Current Spartak star Yegor Titov was on the losing side in both those games under coach Oleg Romantsev. Titov will not be involved against Toulouse along with striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, with coach Stanislav Cherchesov saying: "We have reached our main goal, so we decided to give some players a rest."

• Spartak coach Cherchesov has played in three games against French sides during his days as one of the top goalkeepers in the Soviet Union and Russia, losing them all. An unused substitute as France and Russia exchanged 3-2 wins in UEFA EURO 2000™ qualifying, he was on the losing side as France beat Russia 3-1 in a 1993 friendly.

• More painfully, he was in the Spartak side that lost 3-1 at home and 2-1 away against eventual losing finalists Olympique de Marseille in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.

• Toulouse's Fodé Mansare is serving a one-match suspension while Nicolas Dieuze and Albin Ebondo are each a yellow card shy of a similar punishment.

• The draw for the Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be held in Nyon on 21 December from 13.00CET.