Bílek seeks revenge against Cherchesov

On opposite sides as players in a previous meeting in 1990, AC Sparta Praha's Michal Bílek and FC Spartak Moskva's Stanislav Cherchesov meet again as coaches.

• Spartak coach Cherchesov played in both legs of his side's 4-0 aggregate win against Sparta in the first round of the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup. The goalkeeper kept clean sheets home and away, with the then Soviet side winning 2-0 in both legs.

• Sparta coach Bílek was on the losing side in both legs of that same tie, in his days as a defensive midfielder.

• This will be the seventh match between the two sides.

• The Russian season ended on Sunday 11 November, with Spartak finishing second, two points adrift of champions FC Zenit St. Petersburg.

• In total, the record in the past meetings is two wins apiece with the remaining two games drawn.

• In Prague, Sparta have won two matches and lost one, but are unbeaten in their last four games against Spartak home and away.

• Their most recent meeting in Prague ended in a 2-0 win for Sparta in a 2001/02 UEFA Champions League group stage game, with goals from Marek Kincl and Libor Sionko. Chelsea FC custodian Petr Čech, then aged just 19, kept a clean sheet for the home side.

• Sparta have never taken on any Russian side other than Spartak.

• Spartak have played two games against FC Slovan Liberec in addition to their six games against Sparta, drawing 0-0 in the Czech Republic but winning 2-1 at home. Their overall record against Czech sides thus reads won three, drawn three and lost two.

• Spartak's former Sparta midfielder Radoslav Kováč celebrates his 28th birthday on 27 November, two days before the match. Kováč played for Sparta for two seasons between 2003 and 2005, scoring three goals in 46 league games before moving on to Spartak.

• Spartak defender Martin Jíranek will also be up against former colleagues having played alongside Sparta's Pavel Mareš and Karol Kisel at CU Bohemians Praha in 1999 and 2000.

• Spartak midfielder Maxym Kalynynchenko has been ruled out for the remainder of 2007 with damaged cruciate ligaments.

• Sparta midfielder Pavel Horváth will also be out until the new year after undergoing groin surgery.

• Spartak have scored 149 UEFA Cup goals and conceded 99.

• The Sparta trio of Libor Došek, Milan Petržela, and Zdenèk Pospěch are all a caution away from a one-match suspension.