Stuttgart seek to remove all doubt

Only a win at home against R. Standard de Liège will guarantee VfB Stuttgart a place in the UEFA Cup Round of 32, with the result of the other Group C game between UC Sampdoria and Sevilla FC potentially a big issue for the German side.

• Third in the table, having not played on Matchday 4, Stuttgart will be guaranteed a qualifying place with a win against Standard, but anything less may not be enough, since they are level on points with fourth-placed Sampdoria and two adrift of Sevilla in second.

• Standard beat Sampdoria 3-0 on Matchday 4 to guarantee their progress, but should they avoid defeat against Stuttgart, they will be sure of first place - a crucial bonus when it comes to the Round of 32 draw.

• 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 sides who finished third in the UEFA Champions League groups. The UEFA Cup group winners and runners-up will play the second leg at home.

• This is Stuttgart and Standard's fourth European meeting. They have met three times in the UEFA Intertoto Cup - once in 1996 and twice in 2000 - winning a game each and drawing the other.

• Their two previous meetings in Stuttgart saw Standard earn a win (in 1996) and a draw.

• None of the current Stuttgart or Standard players, nor either of the current coaches, were involved in any of those previous meetings.

• Stuttgart have played 14 UEFA club competition games against Belgian sides, with their record reading W6 D3 L5. At home, that record is W2 D3 L2.

• Standard's 22 games against German sides have left them with the record W6 D6 L10. In Germany, their record reads W3 D3 L6.

• Markus Babbel took charge at Stuttgart on 23 November following the dismissal of coach Armin Veh. This will be his first game against Standard.

• Babbel faced Belgian sides twice as a player. His Stuttgart team won 5-1 at KSK Beveren in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup group stage, while he was in the Germany team which won 2-1 in Belgium in a 1995 friendly.

• Standard's Romanian coach László Bölöni took on Stuttgart in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, with his Stade Rennais FC side losing 2-0 at home to a team coached by Giovanni Trapattoni.

• Of the current Stuttgart staff, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Cacau, Ludovic Magnin and Danijel Ljuboja all played in that match, while Babbel and Mario Gómez were unused substitutes.

• Bölöni was involved in five games against German teams as a player. His ASA Târgu-Mures side drew and lost against 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in a 1975/76 UEFA Cup tie, and he was a member of the Romania sides that lost 2-1 against West Germany in 1984, drew 3-3 with East Germany in 1988 and won 1-0 against the same opponents in 1983.

• Standard's Croatian midfielder Leon Benko played in Germany with 1. FC Nürnberg from 2006 to 2008.

• Stuttgart's Ivorian defender Arthur Boka started his career in Europe with Belgian side KSK Beveren, whom he represented from 2002 to 2004.

• Stuttgart are unbeaten in their last five home games, with a record of W4 D1 L0. They scored at least twice in all of those matches.

• A 1-0 win at Partizan on Matchday 3 ended a three-match wait for a European away win for Belgian champions Standard.

• Stuttgart's Roberto Hilbert, Ciprian Marica and Pável Pardo are all within a booking of one-match suspensions along with Standard's Reginal Goreux. The Belgian side also have Dante Bonfim suspended for the Stuttgart game.

• The draw for the UEFA Cup Round of 32 (when teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other) and Round of 16 will be held at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon on Friday 19 December at 13.00CET.