Sporting v Schalke background

After FC Schalke 04's last-gasp winner on matchday three, it is Sporting Clube de Portugal's turn to go looking for a first win of the campaign when the sides meet again.

• Having lost Maurício to a second yellow card 33 minutes in, Sporting came back from 3-1 down in Gelsenkirchen with two Adrien Silva goals. Their hopes were dashed when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting converted a penalty in added time to make it 4-3 to Schalke.

• It left the Lisbon team bottom of the table with one point while Schalke have five, two fewer than leaders Chelsea FC. 

Match background

Sporting
• Sporting's 1-0 home win over Hertha BSC Berlin in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage was their first against German opponents, at the 17th attempt.

• They subsequently lost the away game in Berlin, also 1-0, and overall their record is W1 D5 L13 (W1 D4 L4 at home).

• Before the Berlin win, Sporting had not scored in four successive home games against German visitors, losing three and drawing one.

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

• Sporting were denied by NK Maribor's equaliser in added time on matchday one; two weeks later they lost 1-0 at home to Chelsea.

Schalke
• Schalke have met Portuguese opponents in UEFA competition on nine occasions and have only lost once.

• They faced SL Benfica in the 2010/11 group stage, a Benedikt Höwedes goal helping secure a 2-1 success in Lisbon. At home they won 2-0 with Jefferson Farfán and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on target late on.

• Their only defeat came 1-0 away against FC Porto in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League round of 16 but after winning their home leg by the same score, they progressed 4-1 on penalties.

• The Bundesliga side are appearing in their seventh UEFA Champions League group stage, and reached the knockout rounds in each of the last four. They were eliminated in last season's round of 16 by eventual winners Real Madrid CF, losing 3-1 away and 9-2 on aggregate.

• Schalke began the campaign with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea while the home game with Maribor produced the same outcome. Huntelaar scored equalisers in both games.

• The win against Sporting came in Roberto Di Matteo's first UEFA Champions League game since taking over from Jens Keller. It is Di Matteo's first role since leaving Chelsea in November 2012. That came just six months after he led the west London club to UEFA Champions League glory with a penalty shoot-out victory over FC Bayern München in the German side's own stadium.

Coach and player links
• Di Matteo tasted success in Lisbon with Chelsea on their way to the 2012 title, beating Benfica 1-0 away in the quarter-final first leg en route to a 3-1 aggregate win.

• Cédric Soares was born in Gelsenkirchen but has never played for the Royal Blues.

• Nani's Manchester United FC beat Schalke in the 2010/11 semi-final, winning 2-0 in Germany and 4-1 at home. They lost the final 3-1 against FC Barcelona at Wembley.

• Nani scored for United in a 5-4 defeat against Di Matteo's Chelsea in the fourth round of the League Cup on 31 October 2012.

• Kevin-Prince Boateng scored in Ghana's 2-1 defeat against Rami Rabia and Sikabala's Egypt in the second leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off on 19 November 2013.

• Atsuto Uchida and Junya Tanaka are team-mates for Japan; André Carrilo and Farfán play together for Peru.

• Diego Capel scored in Sevilla FC's 4-2 Liga defeat against Huntelaar's Real Madrid CF on 26 April 2009. 

Match facts

Sporting
• Maurício begins a one-game suspension following his red card on matchday three. Cédric is a booking away from a ban.

• Sporting suffered their first Liga defeat of the season – 3-0 at Vitória SC – on Saturday. It was their heaviest reverse in any competition since a League Cup loss by the same score to Rio Ave FC in December 2012.

• Sporting responded to defeat in Gelsenkirchen with a 4-2 home victory over CS Marítimo on 26 October, Paulo Oliveira and João Mário scoring their first goals for the Lions.

• Having limped off during the first half against Schalke, Islam Slimani missed the visit of Marítimo. He returned as a substitute on Saturday.

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

• Schalke reacted to their 1-0 loss at Bayer 04 Leverkusen on 25 October by defeating FC Augsburg on Friday. Huntelaar scored the only goal, his fifth in his last six Schalke appearances, from Uchida's cross.

• Schalke have won three of their four games since Di Matteo was appointed on 7 October.

• Uchida extended his contract until June 2018 on 30 October.

• Julian Draxler suffered a thigh injury after only 11 seconds against Augsburg and will be sidelined until the end of the year.

• Joel Matip has sat out the Royal Blues' last four games due to a foot problem. Boateng (ankle) has not played since being substituted at half-time on matchday three.

• Leon Goretzka (out since 5 July, hamstring) and Felipe Santana (30 August, adductors) have resumed light training.

• Fabian Giefer (adductors, out since 5 August), Sead Kolašinac (knee, since 23 August) and Farfán (knee, early July) are long-term absentees.