Standard and Elfsborg seek consolation

R. Standard de Liège will bid to put an end to a long wait for a UEFA Europa League victory when they meet IF Elfsborg, who are also looking to avoid finishing bottom of Group C.

• With just a point each going into their final encounter, both teams have long been out of the running for a round of 32 slot.

Previous meetings
• The sides drew 1-1 on matchday two. Viktor Claesson's curler put the hosts ahead as Elfsborg received their first exposure to Belgian opponents, before Geoffrey Mujangi Bia replied for Standard.

• Standard's record in five games against Swedish outfits reads W3 D1 L1 (W2 D0 L0 in Liege – W1 D1 L1 in Sweden).

• Belgian sides have traditionally been stronger in meetings between teams from the two nations, with the Belgian clubs' record reading W12 D8 L6 (W7 D4 L2 at home – W5 D4 L4 in Sweden).

Match background
• Standard, Legia Warszawa and FC Sheriff have all now gone nine UEFA Europa League games (excluding qualifying) without a win, equalling the competition record held by three other teams – FC Salzburg, FC Steaua Bucureşti and PFC CSKA Sofia.

• History may be repeating itself for Elfsborg, who picked up just one point in their only previous group stage tilt – in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, and also Group C.

Team facts
• Elfsborg defender Daniel Mobaeck can make his 50th UEFA club competition appearance on matchday six.

• Elfsborg started the group stage as one of nine domestic champions in the competition along with NK Maribor (SVN), FC Sheriff (MDA), Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR), PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL), Legia Warszawa (POL), FC Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ), APOEL FC (CYP) and GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO). However, Malmö FF have since won the 2013 Swedish title.

• Elfsborg midfielder Anders Svensson and Standard defender Jelle Van Damme were team-mates at Southampton FC in the 2004/05 season.

• Elfsborg's Mikkel Beckmann and Standard's David Biton were team-mates last season, both spending the spring on loan at Cypriot side APOEL FC.

• Elfsborg forward Lasse Nilsson and Standard's Reza Ghoochanneijhad played together at sc Heerenveen from 2005–07.

• Stand-in Elfsborg coach Klas Ingesson has a working knowledge of Belgian football, having played for KV Mechelen from 1990-93.

Coach information
• Guy Luzon left his native Israel to take over as Standard coach in summer 2013, having led his national team on home soil at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Injury forced the nephew of Israel Football Association (IFA) president Avi Luzon to hang up his boots at 21, but he found his calling as a coach, famously leading Maccabi Petach-Tikva FC into the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage.

• Jörgen Lennartsson was dismissed as Elfsborg coach ahead of matchday two, his side having failed to sparkle after winning the Allsvenskan in 2012.

• Peter Wettergren and Klas Ingesson have stepped up to take charge of Elfsborg for the remainder of the Swedish season. A bronze medallist with Sweden at the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals, midfielder Ingesson played abroad for KV Mechelen, PSV Eindhoven, Sheffield Wednesday FC, AS Bari, Bologna FC, Olympique de Marsille and US Lecce. His coaching career has been interrupted by an ongoing battle with cancer.