Zürich look to buck the trend

Bernard Challandes' FC Zürich will look to buck the trend in UEFA Cup ties between Swiss and German sides as Hamburger SV visit in the Round of 32.

• In 31 UEFA Cup games between sides from Switzerland and opponents from Germany, the Swiss side has won five, drawn six and lost 20.

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

• Zürich have played nine games against sides from neighbouring Germany, winning two and losing seven. They met Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their most recent European game, the final match of the group stage, losing 5-0 at home. Their home record against German sides reads won two, lost three.

• Hamburg have played 13 games against Swiss sides, winning six, drawing five and losing two. In Switzerland, they have won two, drawn three and lost one.

• Experienced Hamburg coach Huub Stevens had never faced Swiss opposition as a player or a coach before this season's UEFA Cup. Now, though, he prepares for his second game in a row against teams from Switzerland after Hamburg's 1-1 draw with FC Basel 1893 in their last group stage game. Stevens has announced that he will step down as coach of the German side at the end of the season to take over at PSV Eindhoven.

• Zürich lost 5-0 against Hamburg's Bundesliga rivals Leverkusen in their final UEFA Cup group stage game. It was their heaviest home defeat in UEFA club competition.

• Hamburg met Swiss opposition at the same stage of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup, taking on FC Thun. They lost the first leg of the tie 1-0 in Switzerland, but two Daniel Van Buyten goals saw them make amends with a 2-0 win in the return leg.

• Hamburg are unbeaten in their last five European away games.

• Hamburg's Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart celebrates his 25th birthday on 11 February.

• Defender Thimothée Atouba turns 26 on 17 February. The Cameroon international has plenty of experience of Swiss football. Neuchâtel Xamax FC were his first club after he moved to Europe in 2000 and he went on to play for Basel, winning Swiss titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005 before moving to Hamburg.

• Zürich qualified for the Round of 32 by finishing third in Group E. Hamburg finished top of Group D.

• Hamburg will host the second leg in Germany on 21 February. The aggregate winners will meet the victors of the tie between Galatasaray AS and Leverkusen in the Round of 16 on 6 and 12/13 March, playing the second leg at home.

• There is thus the possibility of an all-German Round of 16 tie between Hamburg and Leverkusen.

• Winter UEFA Cup registrations
Zürich: In - Andrés Vásquez, Dušan Djurić, Emra Tahirović, Adrian Nicki.
Out – Rafael Araujo, Marc Schneider.
Hamburg: In - Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe.
Out – Kosi Saka.