Leverkusen holding all the cards as Metalist visit

Bayer 04 Leverkusen are in a position of supreme strength in the round of 32 with FC Metalist Kharkiv coming to the BayArena looking to cancel out a 4-0 defeat in the first leg in Ukraine.

• The Group B winners continued their impressive form in the competition with Eren Derdiyok and Gonzalo Castro scoring in either half at the Metalist Stadion. Sidney Sam then added two further strikes in second-half added time to hand Metalist their heaviest home defeat in UEFA club competition.

Previous meetings
• This is the clubs' first tie in European competition.

• Leverkusen have played seven games against Ukrainian opponents, with the record W4 D1 L2 (W2 D1 L0 at home). The last two Ukrainian sides to play at the BayArena left on the wrong end of 3-0 defeats.

• Leverkusen have already played Ukrainian opponents this season; they eliminated SC Tavriya Simferopol in the play-offs to reach the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Prior to the first leg, Metalist had played just one game against a German side; they drew 0-0 against Hertha BSC Berlin in their maiden UEFA Cup group stage campaign in 2008/09.

Match background
• Leverkusen are unbeaten in ten European games home and away, including all nine of their UEFA Europa League fixtures this season.

• Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last four home games since a 4-1 loss to eventual winners FC Zenit St Petersburg in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup quarter-finals. A 1-1 draw against Club Atlético de Madrid in their final UEFA Europa League game of 2010 ended a three-game continental winning home streak in which they did not concede a goal at the BayArena.

• Metalist are appearing in the round of 32 for the second time, having beaten UC Sampdoria at this stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup before losing to fellow Ukrainians FC Dynamo Kyiv in the round of 16.

• Metalist are unbeaten in their last six UEFA club competition away games since losing 1-0 at Dynamo Kyiv in that all-Ukrainian UEFA Cup tie. They have not conceded a goal on their European travels this season, earning two wins and two 0-0 draws.

Team facts
• In Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes' only visit to Ukraine as a player, his VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach side lost 1-0 at Dynamo Kyiv in the 1976/77 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals. He did not feature as his side won the return leg 2-0, but was in the team that lost 3-1 to Liverpool FC in the final.

• Metalist's record in 12 European away games under coach Myron Markevich is an impressive W6 D4 L2.

• Metalist's Serbian defender Milan Obradović has experience of German football, having spent the 2003/04 season on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

• The overall winners will take on the victors in the tie between SSC Napoli and Villarreal CF in the round of 16 on 10 and 17 March, playing the first leg at home.