Maribor v Chelsea background

NK Maribor host a Chelsea FC side who put six past them without reply at Stamford Bridge on matchday three to record their biggest victory in the UEFA Champions League and inflict the Purples' heaviest away defeat.

• The result included two goals from Eden Hazard and a Didier Drogba penalty – the Ivorian's first goal since returning for a second spell with the club. His previous Chelsea strike was the decisive spot kick to win the 2012 UEFA Champions League crown against FC Bayern München.

• The 6-0 win left the London team with seven points, two ahead of FC Schalke 04 with Maribor a further three points adrift in third place. 

Match background

Maribor
• Maribor beat Wigan Athletic FC 2-1 at home in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage, their only victory in seven games against English sides. Overall their record is W1 D1 L5.

• The Wigan victory was also the first win by a Slovenian club against English opposition in ten UEFA club competition meetings (W1 D2 L7).

• Maribor rescued a 1-1 draw against Sporting Clube de Portugal in their first Group G game through substitute Luka Zahovič's added-time header and then led in Gelsenkirchen through Damjan Bohar before Schalke rallied to draw 1-1.

• They suffered their first defeat in nine games in this season's competition at Stamford Bridge, Agim Ibraimi missing a second-half penalty to add to their woes.

• The Schalke goal continued Bohar's impressive run in this season's competition. He scored in a 1-0 home victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC in the third qualifying round and was on target again in the 1-1 draw at home to Celtic FC in the play-offs. Tavares' 75th-minute winner in Glasgow secured Maribor's place in the competition proper for the first time in 15 years.

• In their previous group stage appearance 15 years ago, Maribor finished in fourth place with four points, winning 1-0 away against FC Dynamo Kyiv and drawing 0-0 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Chelsea
• Matchday three was Chelsea's first game against a side from Slovenia in European competition.

• José Mourinho's team won at Sporting on matchday two when ex-SL Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matić got the only goal on his return to Lisbon, having started the campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Schalke.

• Competing in their 13th group stage campaign and 12th in a row, the London side have won their section in eight of their last 11 campaigns, qualifying as runners-up in two other years.

• Mourinho lifted the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto (2004) and FC Internazionale Milano (2010).

Coach and player links
• Ibraimi scored FYR Macedonia's goal in a 5-1 defeat by Cesc Fàbregas' Spain in a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier in Valencia on 8 September 2014. César Azpilicueta was on the bench for the home team.

• Hazard scored in Belgium's 2-0 victory over Ibraimi's FYR Macedonia in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Skopje on 22 March 2013. Thibaut Courtois also played for the away team.

• Four days later Hazard scored the only goal when the sides met in Brussels. Ibraimi and Courtois were also involved.

• Ibraimi scored in FYR Macedonia's 1-0 win against Serbia in Skopje on 16 October 2012 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Branislav Ivanović came off the bench in the second half for the visitors; Matić was also a substitute. 

Match facts

Maribor
• Ibraimi is a booking away from a suspension after receiving yellow cards on matchdays one and two.

• On Friday, Maribor lost 1-0 at home to league leaders NK Domžale and are now nine points off the pace with a game in hand. Zahovič was dismissed in the 90th minute.

• Having conceded six at Stamford Bridge, Maribor responded by triumphing at NK Zavrč on 25 October. Tavares, from the spot, scored the only goal − his 90th in the Slovenian top flight.

• The Purples recorded their second 1-0 victory in three days when they defeated NK Radomlje in the Slovenian Cup round of 16 on 28 October, Zahovič their match winner.

• Zahovič, son of Slovenia's all-time top scorer Zlatko, is the 1. Liga's eight-goal leading marksman.

• Third-placed Maribor have 29 points from 15 league games this season. They had the same total at the equivalent stage last term, when they were second.

• Four of Ante Šimundža's side's five losses in 2014/15 have been in the domestic championship.

Chelsea
• The Blues are 15 matches unbeaten in 2014/15, winning 12. They have not lost since April's UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg defeat at home against Club Atlético de Madrid.

• Hazard converted his third penalty of the season as Chelsea edged west London neighbours Queens Park Rangers FC 2-1 at home on Saturday.

• Five days after defeating Maribor, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester United FC. Robin van Persie scored a 94th-minute equaliser for United, seconds after Ivanović had been sent off.

• Mourinho's men required an 81st-minute own goal to overcome fourth-tier Shrewsbury Town FC 2-1 away from home on 28 October and reach the League Cup quarter-finals, where they will visit Derby County FC in mid-December.

• Danish Under-21 international Andreas Christensen made his Chelsea debut against Shrewsbury at right-back.

• Drogba has registered in three of the capital outfit's last four matches.

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

• Costa (mid-October, hamstring) and Ramires (21 September, muscular problem) made their comebacks against QPR, the latter as a 90th-minute substitute.

• Loïc Rémy is out with the groin injury he sustained in opening the scoring against Maribor.

• Costa, Thibaut Coutois and Hazard are among 23 players nominated for the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or. A three-man shortlist will be announced on 1 December, with the winner revealed on 12 January. Mourinho is up for the men's coach award.