Standard ready to go as Sevilla come calling

R. Standard de Liège coach László Bölöni has some fond memories of Sevilla FC's home stadium as the two sides meet in UEFA Cup Group C, while the Spanish club's defender Ivica Dragutinović was once a hero at the Belgian club.

• Standard coach Bölöni has been involved against Spanish teams in a number of games as a midfielder and coach. Six of his 108 caps for Romania – and one of his 25 goals – were earned in games against Spain, with his record in those matches reading won one, drawn three and lost two.

• Bölöni was also a member of the FC Steaua Bucureşti side that won the 1984/85 European Champion Clubs' Cup, beating FC Barcelona 2-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Sevilla's Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. Bölöni was one of the two players to miss their spot-kicks for Steaua.

• As a coach, his only meetings with Spanish opposition came in the first round of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup, where his Stade Rennais FC side beat CA Osasuna 3-1 on aggregate to move into the group stage.

• Bölöni's Rennes went on to lose all four of their group-stage games, so the 55-year-old is still looking for a first win in this phase of the competition.

• Sevilla coach Manuel Jiménez has never come up against Belgian opponents as a left-back or a coach.

• Sevilla's Serbian defender Dragutinović was at KAA Gent from 1996 to 2000, prior to spending six years with Standard between 2000 and 2005.

• Dragutinović proved to be a massive success with the club before moving to Sevilla, where he won the UEFA Cup in 2005/06 and 2006/07. He will be up against a number of former team-mates in Liege.

• Standard's French attacking midfielder Wilfried Dalmat has some experience of Spanish football having played for Real Racing Club during the 2005/06 season.

• Sevilla's Ivorian midfielder Ndri Romaric played for Belgian side KSK Beveren from 2003 to 2005.

• This is Standard and Sevilla's first meeting in UEFA club competition.

• Standard have played eight games against Spanish opposition, winning two and losing six.

• Those defeats include a 2-1 loss to FC Barcelona in the final of the 1981/82 UEFA Cup – still their only major final appearance – and a 7-1 mauling at home against Athletic Club Bilbao in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group stage, their heaviest ever reverse in the competition.

• Sevilla have never met Belgian opposition before, but Spanish sides have had a good record at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium, with Standard losing three of their four home games against Liga sides.

• The reigning Belgian champions have now lost their last four games home and away against Spanish opposition, and have not beaten a Liga club since knocking Real Madrid CF out in the second round of the 1969/70 European Champion Clubs' Cup.

• Sevilla have scored at least twice in their last four European away games, recording three wins and a defeat. They have earned nine wins in their last ten UEFA competition fixtures, losing the other.

• Sevilla are four short of 100 goals in the UEFA Cup, while the next one they let in will be the 50th they have conceded in the competition.

• Standard are playing their first Group C game. Sevilla beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 at home on Matchday 1 with Romaric and Renato scoring the goals in the space of two first-half minutes.

• Stuttgart are at home against FK Partizan in Matchday 2's other Group C game. Sampdoria are the only team in the section not in action on Thursday.