Stakes high as Everton meet Zenit

Both sides are looking to seal a place in the knockout phase as Everton FC play host to Russian champions FC Zenit St. Petersburg in Group A on Matchday 4.

• David Moyes' Everton have won both their games in the section, against 1. FC Nürnberg and Larissa FC, and need just a point to be certain of a place in the last 32.

• Zenit need a win to make sure of qualification in their final Group A game, having drawn their home games against AZ Alkmaar and Nürnberg either side of winning 3-2 at Larissa.

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

• Everton have never been drawn against Russian opposition.

• Zenit have played three games against English sides. They beat Bradford City FC 1-0 at home and 3-0 away in a 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup semi-final but lost 1-0 at Bolton Wanderers FC in a 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stage game.

• More recently, players from the two sides met in significant UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers between England and Russia. Everton's Andrew Johnson was an unused substitute as England beat Guus Hiddink's side 3-0 at Wembley, with Zenit's Aleksandr Anyukov and Konstantin Zryianov starting for Russia, and Pavel Pogrebnyak on the bench.

• Anyukov and Zryianov started again as Russia won 2-1 in the return leg, with Pogrebnyak once more an unused substitute. Everton's Joleon Lescott lining up for England.

• Zenit coach Dick Advocaat has been involved in six games against English club sides as player and a coach. In the 1971/72 UEFA Cup he played in a HSV FC Den Haag ADO side which lost 7-1 on aggregate to Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.

• However, in his four games as a club coach against English sides, Advocaat has yet to be beaten, with his PSV Eindhoven side beating Leeds United AFC 3-0 at home and 5-3 away in a 1995/96 UEFA Cup tie and then winning home and away against Newcastle United FC in the 1997/98 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Advocaat recently signed a new one-year contract at the Petrovsky Stadium having led them to their first league title since 1984 – when they were still Zenit Leningrad.

• Zenit are unbeaten in their last three European away games.

• The club have also made their first signings of the closed season, bringing in FC Khimki midfielder Roman Shirokov and playmaker Viktor Faizulin from FC Spartak Nalchik.

• Everton defender Alan Stubbs has been ruled out of both of the club's remaining group stage games with a calf injury.

• Nürnberg are at home against AZ in Wednesday's other Group A game.