Zenit reaching new heights

uefa.com assesses the form of the sides in UEFA Cup Group H ahead of the opening matches on 21 October.

* AEK ATHENS FC

AEK Athens FC are going through a difficult year as president Demis Nikolaidis grapples with a €150m debt. Big-name players such as Theodoros Zagorakis, Vassilios Tsiartas and Mihalis Kapsis have been sold and younger faces brought in.

For all that, AEK remain unbeaten so far this season in the Greek league and in Europe. They won two and drew one of their opening three league matches, and progressed to the second round of the UEFA Cup with a 2-1 aggregate victory against Slovenian side NK Gorica.

In two weeks the club will be on the move, leaving the Georgios Kamaras stadium for their new home at the magnificent Olympic Stadium in Athens. The hope is that this will attract more supporters over and above their loyal, long-standing fans.

New recruits have impressed in AEK's bright start to the season, particularly the young Cypriot midfield player Simos Krassas, forward Leonidas Kabantais, and the Portuguese duo Bruno Alves and Paulo Assunção who have been brought in on loan. Nikolaidis and coach Fernando Santos made no big promises before the season commenced but all the signs are good so far as the new-look squad has come together well.

* LOSC LILLE MÉTROPOLE

LOSC Lille Métropole came through the first round by beating Irish side Shelbourne FC 4-1 on aggregate.

They enter the group stage of the competition with reason for optimism: UEFA Intertoto Cup winners already this season, they started October by beating Stade Rennais FC 1-0 through substitute striker Matt Moussilou's goal to go top of Ligue 1. Coach Claude Puel said this lofty position was "unexpected" and the rest of France is equally surprised.

Lille have not conceded a goal in their last five games and lead the table on goal difference with 19 points, level with champions Olympique Lyonnais. Their good form is all the more surprising considering their home ground, the Grimonprez-Jooris stadium, is currently being rebuilt and they are presently playing at the nearby Stadium Lille-Métropole. Slovenian playmaker Milenko Acimovic has been one of the stars of the campaign so far along with Moussilou.

* TSV ALEMANNIA AACHEN

UEFA Cup debutants TSV Alemannia Aachen enjoyed a comfortable first-round victory, beating Icelandic champions FH Hafnarfjördur 5-1 over two legs. It was a remarkable start to the German second division side's campaign and will be a great boost to their confidence going into the group stage.

Aachen qualified for the UEFA Cup by reaching the German Cup final which they lost to double winners Werder Bremen. They narrowly missed out on promotion last season which prompted a mass exodus from the club. New coach Dieter Hecking has brought in 13 new players to the squad including some Bundesliga veterans with plenty of experience.

Dutch striker Erik Meijer joined from Bayer 04 Leverkusen while Kai Michalke arrived from VfL Bochum 1848. This has improved the technical quality of the side and they are hopeful of progressing even further after their handsome win over Hafnarfjördur.

* SEVILLA FC

Riding high in third place in the Primera División, Sevilla FC were frustrated when their last league outing at Real Racing Club de Santander ended goalless. The team spent the closing moments of the game with ten men after defender Pablo Alfaro was dismissed, and now trail leaders FC Barcelona by five points, after one defeat in six games.

Defender Pablo Ruiz faces another two weeks on the sidelines as he recovers from facial injuries sustained during a match at Villarreal CF on 22 September. On a brighter note, forward Julio Baptista has shaken off his knee injuries and should be available for the next league game against Valencia CF while the promising Spanish Under-21 international defender Sergio Ramos - one of Sevilla's star performers so far - has signed a one-year contract extension until June 2008.

Another player for opponents to watch out for is the Brazilian midfield player Renato, scorer of a stunning debut goal against Albacete Balompié.

* FC ZENIT ST. PETERBURG

Under Czech coach Vlastimil Petrzela, Zenit are reaching new heights this year. With five games left in the Russian Premier League season, Zenit are top - albeit only three points ahead of fourth-placed FC Krylya Sovetov Samara - and hopeful of taking the title outside Moscow for only the second time since the end of the Soviet Union. It has been a dream rise for a team who have won just one Soviet Cup, back in 1944, and the league 40 years later, and who only entered the Russian top flight in 1996.

In Europe too, Zenit have found form, recovering from losing 3-1 at SV Pasching in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie to triumph 2-0 at home and go through on away goals. FK Crvena Zvezda were defeated more convincingly, 4-0 at home and 2-1 in Belgrade. Goalkeeper Viacheslav Malafeev and striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov are the key men in a side who, on their day, play thrilling, attacking football at pace.