St Etienne and Valencia vie for top billing

With both sides already qualified, AS Saint-Etienne will look to confirm their position as top dogs in Group G as they play host to Valencia CF, the only side that can deny them first place, on Matchday 5.

• St Etienne have been safely through since Matchday 3 and did not play on Matchday 4, while Valencia confirmed their progress as an understrength side drew 1-1 at home against Club Brugge KV in their last match.

• St Etienne need to avoid defeat to be sure of finishing top of the section. Valencia will only come out on top if they win, and could finish third in the section if they fail to do so, with Club Brugge KV and FC København battling for the final qualifying place in the section elsewhere on Wednesday.

• Final standings in the table are important when it comes to the Round of 32 draw. Group winners will be paired with third-placed sides from other UEFA Cup sections, while second-placed finishers will be drawn against one of the eight sides who finished third in the UEFA Champions League groups. The UEFA Cup group winners and runners-up will play the second leg at home.

• This is St Etienne and Valencia's first meeting in UEFA club competition, and also Les Verts' first game against Spanish opponents.

• Valencia have played 13 games against French sides, most recently beating Olympique de Marseille 2-0 in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup final in Gothenburg thanks to goals Vicente Rodríguez and Mista.

• In total, their record against French sides reads W9 D2 L2. In France itself, it is W2 D2 L2.

• Alain Perrin is still looking for his first European victory since replacing Laurent Roussey as St Etienne coach on 11 November.

• Perrin has yet to record a win in four games as a coach against Spanish sides, with his record reading W0 D1 L3. His home games against Liga opposition have ended in a draw and a defeat.

• Valencia coach Unai Emery has never faced French opposition before.

• Valencia's Edu and St Etienne's Efstathios Tavlaridis were both on Arsenal FC's books between 2001 and 2004.

• Valencia's Fernando Morientes spent a season on loan at Ligue 1 side AS Monaco FC in 2003/04, reaching the UEFA Champions League final but losing out to FC Porto. St Etienne forward David Gigliotti also played for Monaco that season.

• St Etienne have won both of their UEFA Cup home games in Group G and are unbeaten in their last seven European matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard – a run stretching back to 1981. Their record in those seven games is W3 D4 L0.

• Valencia have won both of their UEFA Cup away games this season without conceding – 1-0 at CS Marítimo in the first round and 4-0 at Rosenborg BK on 27 November. They have lost only once in their last eight European away games, a 2-0 UEFA Champions League defeat by Rosenborg in October 2007, with their record reading W4 D3 L1.

• The draw for the UEFA Cup Round of 32 (when teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other) and Round of 16 will be held at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon on Friday 19 December at 13.00CET.