Valencia out to end Kuban hopes

While Valencia CF are safely through to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 as Group A winners, FC Kuban Krasnodar have a chance – however slender – of joining their hosts in the draw.

• Kuban's only chance of getting through is if they win and Swansea City AFC lose by the right margin at eliminated FC St Gallen in their final game.

Previous meetings
• Paco Alcácer and Sofiane Feghouli scored in the last 20 minutes as Valencia earned a 2-0 win in the sides' first meeting – and Kuban's first encounter with Spanish opponents – on matchday two.

• Valencia's nine games against Russian teams have ended W7 D1 L1 (W4 D0 L0 in Spain – W3 D1 L1 in Russia). They have won their last five fixtures against Russian sides for the loss of no goals, and conceded only once in those four previous home games against Russian clubs – the aggregate score in those matches being 14-1.

Match background
• Valencia have won all four of their Group A games since a 3-0 home defeat to Swansea on matchday one.

• European debutants Kuban won their opening two away fixtures in this season's competition – in qualifying – but have yet to record a win on the road in Group A. Nevertheless, they are now unbeaten in three group stage matches: two draws against Swansea and a 4-0 defeat of St Gallen last time out, their most substantial European victory to date.

• Valencia made it through to the knockout phase in both of their previous group stage attempts in this competition – in 2008/09 and 2009/10. They have not had a European season that has been over by Christmas since 2007/08, when they finished bottom of their UEFA Champions League group.

• Of the four sides in the group stage experiencing their first season in European competition, only Kuban and Wigan Athletic FC come into matchday six with a chance of progressing, with CS Pandurii Târgu Jiu and Estoril Praia already out of contention.

Team facts
• Kuban coach Viktor Goncharenko took on Valencia in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League with FC BATE Borisov, with his side losing 3-0 at home and 4-2 at Mestalla.

• Kuban may need to sharpen their shooting if they are to get a win in Spain: they have had more shots off target than any side in the group stage this season, 39 in total.

• Kuban defender Ángel Dealbert will be up against a host of former team-mates, having played for Valencia from 2009-12; the club finished third in the Liga in all three of his seasons at Mestalla.

• Valencia defender Antonio Barragán and Kuban striker Djibril Cissé were together at Liverpool FC in the 2005/06 season.

• Valencia defender João Pereira and forward Hélder Postiga played alongside Kuban defender Xandão at Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2011/12, though Hélder Postiga left for Real Zaragoza CF in September 2011.

• Kuban's Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Rabiu played on loan in Spain's second division with Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Xerez CD.

• Kuban's Senegalese forward Ibrahima Baldé also played at that level with CD Numancia and experienced the top division with Club Atlético de Madrid and CA Osasuna.

Coach information
• Serbian coach Miroslav Djukić returned in June 2013 to the club he served as a sweeper from 1997-2003; two UEFA Champions League finals and the 2001/02 title with Valencia represented the pinnacles of his long playing career in Spain. As a coach, he led FK Partizan and Serbia as well as Belgium's R. Excelsior Mouscron before returning to Spain to take charge of Hércules CF and then Real Valladolid CF.

• Kuban parted company with coach Dorinel Munteanu on 12 October, the Romanian paying for a slow start in Group A and a run of one win in six Premier-Liga matches.

• Goncharenko answered Kuban's call to end a six-year stay with BATE, where he won five Belarusian titles and steered his side into the UEFA Champions League group stage three times – also becoming, at the age of 31, the youngest ever coach in Europe's premier competition. Before that, Goncharenko first turned to management after his career as a defender with BATE was ended by injury aged 25.