Hannover out to end Levante record

Levante UD need a win to steal top spot in UEFA Europa League Group L from Hannover 96, with both sides already certain of a round of 32 place going into matchday six.

Group L permutations
• Hannover are through and need a point to win the group.

• Levante are through and will win the group if they beat Hannover.

• FC Twente and Helsingborgs IF are out.

Previous meetings
• Ten-man Hannover ended Levante's 100% start to life in Europe with a 2-1 win when the sides first met on matchday two, in what was Levante's maiden game against a German club. Karim Haggui pulled down Fanis Gekas, resulting in a red card for the Hannover defender, and Míchel converted from the spot. Szabolcs Huszti restored parity after Vicente Iborra had handled in the box, and Didier Ya Konan's opportunistic strike at the start of the second half gave Hannover all three points.

• Hannover have played five matches against Spanish sides – including four in last season's UEFA Europa League, where they overcame Sevilla FC in the play-offs before losing 2-1 home and away to eventual winners Club Atlético de Madrid in the quarter-finals. Their overall record is W2 D1 L2 (W2 D0 L1 at home W0 D1 L1 in Spain).

Match background
• Levante are making their debut in UEFA club competition this season, having earned a play-off place in the UEFA Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in the 2011/12 Liga campaign.

• The Valencia side still boast a perfect record in UEFA home games – they have won all three of their UEFA Europa League matches at the Estadi Ciutat de València without conceding.

• Hannover are unbeaten in nine UEFA Europa League games this season (W7 D2 – W3 D1 away from home).

Team facts
• Hannover need three more goals to reach 50 in the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League; this is their 24th game in the two competitions.

• Hannover's Manuel Schmiedebach turns 24 on the eve of the game.

• Levante's German right-back Christian Lell and Hannover forward Jan Schlaudraff played together at FC Bayern München in 2007/08. Lell also played for 1. FC Köln and Hertha in Germany, moving to Spain in August 2012.

• Levante striker Obafemi Martins has also played in the Bundesliga, spending the 2009/10 season at VfL Wolfsburg.

• This is Levante coach Juan Ignacio Martínez's first campaign in UEFA club competition. As a right-back, he never rose higher than the third tier in Spanish football and coached in youth and women's football, working his way up the senior men's leagues to take charge of Levante in June 2011. He is often known by his initials, JIM, in Spain.

• Hannover coach Mirko Slomka played for the club and coached their youth sides before taking charge of the first team in January 2010. He previously enjoyed success in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup, leading Schalke from the round of 32 to the semi-finals after succeeding Ralf Rangnick.