Marseille rematch for Cherchesov

Olympique de Marseille will have fond memories of their last meeting with FC Spartak Moskva, unlike the Russian club's coach Stanislav Cherchesov.

• Marseille qualified for the Round of 32 after finishing third in UEFA Champions League Group A. Spartak finished second in UEFA Cup Group E.

• The two sides met in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals, with Marseille winning 5-2 on aggregate en route to a penalty shoot-out defeat against FK Crvena Zvezda in the final.

• Marseille won the first leg 3-1 in Moscow, with Abédi Pelé and Jean-Pierre Papin putting them 2-0 up by half-time. Igor Shalimov struck back for Spartak but Philippe Vercruysse restored the French side's advantage late on. Abédi Pelé and Basile Boli then scored for Marseille in the second leg with Aleksandr Mostovoi scoring a consolation goal for the then Soviet giants.

• Spartak coach Cherchesov will remember the tie well, having played in goal for his side in both legs.

• Cherchesov was also an unused substitute as France and Russia exchanged 3-2 wins in UEFA EURO 2000™ qualifying and was on the losing side as France beat Russia 3-1 in a 1993 friendly.

• Marseille have played seven games against Russian sides, winning four, drawing two and losing one. In France, they have won two of those games and lost one.

• Spartak have already come up against Ligue 1 opposition in this season's UEFA Cup, losing 2-1 at Toulouse FC in their final group stage game.

• The Russian club have played 17 games against French teams, winning just once, drawing four games and losing 12.

• Spartak's nine trips to France have brought one draw and eight defeats, with the 2-1 loss at Toulouse in their most recent European game representing their eighth successive defeat on French soil.

• Spartak will host the second leg in Moscow on 21 February. The aggregate winners will then meet the victors of the tie between FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Villarreal CF in the Round of 16 on 6 and 12/13 March, playing the first leg at home.

• There is thus the possibility of an all-Russian Round of 16 encounter between Spartak and Zenit, the team who outpaced them to take the Russian title in 2007.

• Winter UEFA Cup registrations
Marseille: In - Juan Ángel Krupoviesa, Charles Kabore, Leyti N'Diaye, Jean-Philipe Sabo.
Out – Salim Arrache, Matt Moussilou, Fabrice Fiorèse, Vincent Gragnic.
Spartak: In - Alexander Pavlenko, Cristián Maidana, Soslan Dzhanaev, Oleg Dineev.
Out – Denis Boyarinstev, Geder, Wojciech Kowalewski, Ádám Dudas, Dmitriy Torbinsky.