Last 32 in sight for Spartak and Zürich

FC Spartak Moskva and FC Zürich can book their place in the last 32 with a game to spare as they meet in their third Group E game in the Russian capital.

• Spartak won their opener at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 and then earned a 0-0 draw at AC Sparta Praha to take second place in the section. Three points against Swiss champions Zürich would ensure them a top-three finish.

• Zürich won 2-1 at Sparta in their opening game and then beat Toulouse FC 2-0 at home. One more point would leave them certain of a place in the next phase of the competition.

• Zürich are at home against Leverkusen in their final Group E game on 19 December while Spartak travel to Toulouse.

• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.

• Spartak have played nine games against Swiss sides in UEFA club competition, including a match at home against FC Sion which had to be replayed after it was discovered that the goalposts were 8cm short of regulation height.

• That match took place in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round. Spartak had won the first leg in Switzerland 1-0 and then drew 2-2 at home, only to be told to replay the game because of the miscalculation. They won the replay 5-1.

• In total they have won four games against Swiss sides, drawing two and losing three. At home they have won two, drawn two and lost one. Those stats include the abandoned game against Sion.

• Zürich are playing their first game against Russian opposition.

• Zürich coach Bernard Challandes has been to Russia twice before as coach of the Swiss Under-21 side, drawing 3-3 in a 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier and winning 2-1 in the 2004 qualifying campaign.

• Spartak coach Stanislav Cherchesov played in a 2-0 defeat against Zürich's main Swiss league rivals FC Basel 1893 in one of his last games at European level in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League group stage. The goalkeeper was 39 years and 15 days old.

• Challandes was suspended for the game against Toulouse, while striker Eric Hassli still has two more matches of a three-game ban to serve with both men being punished for their parts in incidents in the 2-1 win at Sparta.

• Spartak midfielder Renat Sabitov will miss the remainder of their 2007 games after breaking his leg in a friendly game against Spanish side Elche CF.

• Leverkusen are at home against Sparta in Thursday's other Group E game.