Anderlecht out to break down Lille

RSC Anderlecht and LOSC Lille Métropole begin a new UEFA Champions League campaign with this fixture at the Constant Vanden Stock but those spectators who travel to Brussels expecting a feast of goals must bank on recent trends being overturned. The Belgian and French sides were the lowest scorers in last season's tournament, registering just a single goal apiece in their six group games.

• At least Anderlecht, in their eighth participation in the competition, go into the game having finally removed the pressure of ending a run of 12 consecutive UEFA Champions League defeats after overcoming Real Betis Balompié on Matchday 6 last season thanks to a goal from centre-back Vincent Kompany, who has since moved on. Despite the win the five previous losses meant that Franky Vercauteren's team bow out at the initial stage for the third season in a row having finished fourth in the section.

Home comforts
• The Belgian champions' home record against visitors from France will give them confidence of getting off to a good start this time around. They remain undefeated on home soil in five previous games against opposition from that country, winning three and drawing two. In those three victories, Anderlecht did not concede a goal.

• They have also done well in the reverse fixtures; their most recent visit to France, to face Olympique Lyonnais in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League, was the only time they have experienced defeat in five outings. Of the remaining four away games, two ended in an Anderlecht victory and the other two matches finished all square.

• These two clubs have never met before. Indeed as relative newcomers to European football, Lille have never previously faced Belgian opponents in UEFA competition.

Lille emergence
• Having waited until 2001/02 to make their European debut, this is Lille's second successive UEFA Champions League campaign and, like Anderlecht, Claude Puel's team will be hoping to show more potency in front of goal this time round. Milenko Ačimovič's lone strike that inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Manchester United FC at the Stade de France in Paris last year was the only time the French side found the net in six games as they finished third in the group. On the positive side their defensive record was similarly frugal, with only two goals conceded.