Lausanne seek more succour from Sparta

Having scored deep into added time to secure a 3-3 draw in Prague on Matchday 3, FC Lausanne-Sport will hope their luck has turned as AC Sparta Praha come to Switzerland in UEFA Europa League Group F.

Previous meetings
• The clubs convened for a third time on Matchday 3.

• They first met in the 1965/66 European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round. Lausanne – led by four-time Switzerland coach Karl Rappan – held a Sparta side marshalled by Václav Ježek – who would guide Czechoslovakia to glory at the 1976 UEFA European Championship – to a 0-0 draw at home. However, the Swiss outfit lost 4-0 in Prague, with Ivan Mráz scoring a hat-trick.

• The teams for that last meeting in Switzerland on 22 September 1965 were:
Lausanne: Elsener, Grobéty, Schneiter, Tacchella, Dürr, Hertig, Armbruster, Fuchs, Hosp, Hunziker, Kerkhoffs.
Sparta: Kramerius, Tichý, Vojta, Kvašňák, Pospíchal, Mašek, Vrána, Táborský, Dyba, Gůra, Mráz.

• The above matches represent Lausanne's only experience of Czech opposition, but Sparta have played five other games against Swiss sides, with their total record over eight matches reading W2 D3 L3 (W0 D1 L2 in Switzerland).

Match background
• Lausanne have not won in six European games.

• A 3-0 loss to PFC CSKA Moskva on Matchday 1 ended Lausanne's seven-game unbeaten run at home. They had not previously lost at Stade Olympique de la Pontaise since going down 3-1 to FC Nantes in the UEFA Cup on 7 December 2000.

• Sparta have lost their last two away games in Europe without scoring, but won the previous two.

Team facts
• Sparta's Juraj Kucka and US Città di Palermo's Javier Pastore have had more shots on goal than any other player in the group stage after three games, with eight each. Kucka has scored once while Pastore has yet to find the net.

• Born to Spanish parents, Lausanne coach Martin Rueda won five caps for Switzerland as a defender, representing Grasshopper-Club, FC Wettingen 93, FC Luzern and Neuchâtel Xamax FC in UEFA club competition.

• Capped 52 times by Czechoslovakia, former midfielder Jozef Chovanec is Sparta to the core. He served the club for the bulk of his playing career and has continued his association since moving into coaching, taking charge for four separate spells as well as leading 1. FK Příbram, FC Kuban Krasnodar and the Czech Republic national team.