Sporting v Chelsea background

Sporting Clube de Portugal put their long unbeaten European home record on the line as they welcome a Chelsea FC side who have won their last six matches against Liga opponents.

Match background

Sporting
• Sporting have won their last three home games against English visitors without conceding a goal. The only defeat in nine such contests (W7 D1) was Manchester United FC's 1-0 victory in the 2007/08 group stage, Sporting's only previous UEFA Champions League encounter with a Premier League club.

• Their 19 previous games against English sides have ended W9 D3 L7.

• This is their sixth group stage campaign and the first since 2008/09, when they reached the last 16 for the first time.

• The 2013/14 Portuguese Liga runners-up are unbeaten in 16 European home games − 13 wins, three draws − since a 2-0 loss to Brøndby IF in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League play-offs.

Chelsea
• Chelsea's record in nine games against Portuguese clubs – three against SL Benfica, six versus FC Porto – in European competition is W7 D1 L1. Their last six wins against Liga sides were by single-goal margins.

• Their last victory came against Benfica in the 2013 UEFA Europa League final when Branislav Ivanović's header in the last minute of added time earned a 2-1 win at the Amsterdam ArenA.

• The 2012 UEFA Champions League winners made it to last season's semi-finals, where they were beaten by Club Atlético de Madrid 3-1 at home after a 0-0 draw away.

• This is their 13th group stage campaign and 12th in a row.

Coach and player links
• José Mourinho worked at Sporting as assistant to coach Sir Bobby Robson for one and a half seasons between 1992 and 1993. He later became head coach at Benfica, leaving after a 3-0 home win over Sporting in 2001, and also coached UD Leiria and Porto, never losing a match against Sporting (W4 D2).

• Nani scored three goals in 13 appearances (W4 D4 L5) for Manchester United FC against Chelsea and converted a spot kick in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final in Moscow when United won 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. He scored the opening goal in the 2009 Community Shield, which ended 2-2 with Chelsea winning 4-1 on penalties, and finished on the winning side four times with five defeats.

• Ramires played for Benfica in 2009/10 and scored in the semi-final victory over Sporting in the Portuguese League Cup. Of his three matches against Sporting he was twice on the winning side with the other drawn.

• Nemanja Matić also played for Benfica, who were unbeaten in his four appearances against Sporting (W3 D1).

• Diego Costa started his European career at FC Penafiel, on loan from SC Braga in 2006/07. He then played seven games in the Portuguese Liga for Braga before moving to Spain.

• André Schürrle scored Germany's first goal in a 2-1 win against Islam Slimani's Algeria in the last 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

• Mohamed Salah and Rami Rabia play together for Egypt.

• Oscar scored all three goals as Brazil beat Cédric Soares' Portugal 3-2 after extra time in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup final.

• Naby Sarr and Kurt Zouma were centre-back partners as France beat Uruguay in the 2013 U-20 World Cup final.

Match facts

Sporting

• Sporting were held to their fifth 1-1 draw in seven matches this season on Friday against FC Porto as Naby Sarr's own goal cancelled out Jonathan Silva's first strike for the club.

• Rui Patrício made his 200th top-flight appearance for Sporting as the Lions recorded their biggest away win in 13 months, 4-0 against Gil Vicente FC, on 21 September.

• With left-back Jefferson suspended, Jonathan Silva, a summer signing from Club Estudiantes LP, made his debut for Sporting in Barcelos.

• Rami Rabia, who joined Sporting in the summer from al-Ahly SC in his native Egypt, is yet to make his debut. He has been sidelined since sustaining an abdominal injury on 30 August.

Chelsea

• Diego Costa has scored eight goals in six league outings following his summer switch from Atlético.

• Chelsea's 100% start to the Premier League season ended when they drew 1-1 at Manchester City FC on 21 September, former Blues midfielder Frank Lampard cancelling out fellow substitute André Schürrle's strike.

• Zouma marked his Chelsea debut with the opening goal in a 2-1 League Cup victory against Bolton Wanderers FC on 24 September.

• Petr Čech and Nathan Aké made their first club appearances of the season against Bolton, Loïc Rémy starting for the first time since his move from Queens Park Rangers FC.