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Leverkusen focus on finishing first with Genk win

Bayer 04 Leverkusen are safely through to the round of 16 for the first time since 2004/05, leaving them to aim for the victory at KRC Genk which would seal first place in Group E.

Leverkusen celebrate their matchday five win and qualification for the last 16
Leverkusen celebrate their matchday five win and qualification for the last 16 ©Getty Images

A third successive home win on matchday five sent Bayer 04 Leverkusen through to the UEFA Champions League last 16 for the first time in seven years. Their final challenge at this stage is to finish as Group E winners and they will be hopeful of picking up their first away points at bottom side KRC Genk.

• The German team owe their position to the win against Chelsea FC last time out when Manuel Friedrich scored in added time after Eren Derdiyok had wiped out Didier Drogba's opener.

• On the same night Genk slipped to a 7-0 reverse at Valencia CF and, though the Belgian outfit are certain to finish fourth, they will be seeking a first victory to end their European campaign on a high.

• The matchday two meeting between these teams – their first competitive encounter – ended 2-0 to Leverkusen, with Lars Bender's first goal in European competition putting the German side on their way. Substitute Michael Ballack then struck in added time to secure the points.

• On their return to the competition after nine years, Genk opened with a goalless draw at home to Valencia but after the defeat in Leverkusen they went down 5-0 at Chelsea. Some pride was restored back in Belgium with a 1-1 draw against the London team, meaning Mario Been's side have drawn both home games so far and conceded 14 without scoring in losing all three away matches.

• On matchday one Leverkusen lost 2-0 at Chelsea and in the two games with Valencia they won 2-1 at the BayArena but went down 3-1 in Spain. They have won all three home matches but lost both away.

Match background
• The sides came face to face for a friendly on 23 July this year. Leverkusen won 4-1, Derdiyok scoring a hat-trick.

• Genk have had some interesting results at home to German opponents, winning the first such fixture 5-0 against MSV Duisburg in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round. The other two they lost – 5-2 against SV Werder Bremen in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup second round and 1-0 against Borussia Dortmund in the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup third round.

• In four games against Belgian opponents Leverkusen have a record showing three wins and a draw. Before this season their most recent contest, a 2006/07 UEFA Cup group stage away game against Club Brugge KV, ended 1-1.

• The other matches – against K. Lierse SK in the 1997/98 UEFA Champions League group stage – were won 1-0 at home and 2-0 away.

Team ties
• Been scored the second goal for Feyenoord in a 2-2 draw with Leverkusen in a 1987/88 UEFA Cup third round tie. Feyenoord lost the away leg 1-0 against a team who went on to win that season's competition.

• Daniel Pudil and Michal Kadlec are international team-mates with the Czech Republic.

• In a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Tel Aviv in September 2008, Tranquillo Barnetta played for Switzerland in a 2-2 draw against Israel, who brought on Elyaniv Barda after an hour.

• The return game in Basle 13 months later ended goalless. Derdiyok and Barnetta featured for Switzerland while Barda played for Israel.

• André Schürrle scored Germany's second goal in the 3-1 UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying win against Marvin Ogunjimi's Belgium on 11 October.

• Germany beat Belgium 2-0 in an August 2008 friendly in Nuremberg. Simon Rolfes was in the German side while Thomas Buffel and Stijn Huysegems appeared as substitutes for the visitors.

• Rolfes was a substitute for Germany as they lost 3-0 to the Czech Republic in a UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier played in Munich in October 2007. Pudil started for the winning team.

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