Rennes and Dinamo covet Brann's spot

SK Brann will be looking to hold on to third place in Group D as Stade Rennais FC and NK Dinamo Zagreb meet in France with each needing to win comfortably to deny the recently-crowned Norwegian champions a place in the Round of 32.

• Brann finished their Group D games on Matchday 4 with four points and a -1 goal difference.

• Branko Ivanković's Dinamo, in fourth, have one point after their first three games, drawing at home against FC Basel 1893 but losing against Brann and Hamburg. A win by a two-goal margin would see them take third place in the section from Brann. A 2-0 win would leave Dinamo and Brann with identical goal difference and goals scored, but Dinamo would progress by virtue of having scored more away goals – three to Brann's one.

• Bottom of the section, Rennes lost 1-0 at Basel and 3-0 at Hamburg either side of a 1-1 draw at home against Brann. In order to take third place in the section, they would have to win by a three-goal margin against Dinamo.

• The side finishing third in the section will be drawn against one of the winners from the other groups in the Round of 32, playing the first leg at home.

• Guy Lacombe replaced Pierre Dréossi as coach of Rennes on Monday 17 December as the Brittany team looked to reverse a dramatic slump in form that saw them lose their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 game at home to SM Caen the previous Saturday.

• Dinamo midfielder Ognjen Vukojević celebrates his 24th birthday on the day of the match.

• Dinamo are playing in their 12th game in UEFA club competition this season, having started their season in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.

• The match at Rennes will be their last of 2007. They lost 5-2 at NK Slaven Koprivnica on 8 December in their final league game before the winter break in Croatia, but are 12 points clear at the top of the table after 19 games.

• Rennes have not won in their last four European home games, and have yet to win in the group stage, having lost all four of their matches in their only previous appearance in the 2005/06 competition.

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

• Rennes have played one previous game against Croatian opposition, losing 2-1 at HNK Segesta in a 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup game.

• Dinamo have played ten games against French teams, winning three, drawing two and losing five. In France, they have won one, drawn two and lost two.

• Rennes forward Jimmy Briand is within a booking of a one-match suspension as are Dinamo's Hrvoje Čale and Marijo Mandžukić.

• Hamburg are at home against Basel in Thursday's other Group D game.

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