Valencia within sight of first milestone

The Round of 32 is beckoning for Valencia CF as they prepare to host Club Brugge KV, with just one more point required to send the Spanish side through to the next phase of the competition as one of the top three teams in Group G.

• A 4-0 win at Rosenborg BK on Matchday 3 saw Valencia match their best ever UEFA Cup away win, and now they need only draw against their Belgian guests to be certain of playing European football in the spring.

• Club Brugge were held to a 1-1 draw at home by AS Saint-Etienne last week, a result which saw the French side qualify. They will have something to play for regardless of the results on Thursday when they meet FC København at home on Matchday 5.

• This is Valencia and Club Brugge's first meeting in UEFA club competition.

• Valencia have played six games against teams from Belgium, with their record reading W3 D1 L2. Their three home matches against Belgian opposition ended in a defeat and a pair of 2-0 wins.

• Club Brugge's 17 games against Spanish sides have left them with the record W4 D5 L8. They have now gone nine games without a win against a Liga club.

• In Spain, Club Brugge's record reads W0 D3 L5.

• This will be Valencia coach Unai Emery's first game against Belgian opponents, and Club Brugge boss Jacky Mathijssen's first competitive trip to Spain.

• Valencia defender Alexis played alongside Club Brugge's Croatian midfielder Ivan Leko at Málaga CF between 2002 and 2005.

• Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro and Club Brugge's Wesley Sonck played together at AFC Ajax during the 2004/05 season.

• Young Club Brugge forward Dušan Djokić played with fellow Serbian striker Nikola Žigić at FK Crvena Zvezda for the start of the 2006/07 campaign, with Žigić moving to Real Racing Club after a few games. He joined Valencia in summer 2007.

• Valencia are unbeaten in their last three European home games.

• Club Brugge have gone four games without an away win in Europe.

• This is Club Brugge's sixth UEFA Cup group-stage away game in their third appearance at this stage of the competition. They have not won any of their previous five UEFA Cup matches played away from home in the group stage, drawing two and losing three.

• Belgium has some positive associations for Valencia. They won the 1979/80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup at Brussels' Roi Baudouin Stadium, beating Arsenal FC 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

• Valencia's David Albelda, Iván Helguera and David Villa are all within a booking of a one-match ban, along with Club Brugge's Sonck.

• København play Rosenborg in Thursday's other Group G game. St Etienne are the only side in the section not in action on Matchday 4.

• The draw for the UEFA Cup Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be held at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon on Friday 19 December at 13.00CET. Group winners will be paired with third-placed sides from other UEFA Cup sections, while second-placed finishers will be drawn against one of the eight clubs who finished third in the UEFA Champions League groups. The UEFA Cup group winners and runners-up will play the second leg at home. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.