Lokomotiv Moskva v Schalke facts

Lokomotiv Moskva kicked off Group D with a chastening defeat and will hope to respond positively to that setback as they host a Schalke side who have had struggles of their own this season.

• The Russian champions went down 3-0 at Galatasaray on matchday one, when Schalke earned a 1-1 home draw against Porto in their first game in the competition since 2015. Both sides will be looking to get a first win on the board in what is the clubs' first meeting.

Form guide
Lokomotiv
• Russian champions last season for the first time since 2004, Lokomotiv are in the group stage for the fourth time, having not featured since 2003/04 – their third successive appearance – when they reached the round of 16.

• The Moscow club have qualified from their group on their last two appearances.

• In 2017/18, Lokomotiv began in the UEFA Europa League group stage, beating Nice in the round of 32 before suffering an 8-1 aggregate loss against eventual champions Atlético Madrid in the last 16.

• Lokomotiv have won only four of their last ten European fixtures in Moscow, losing the same number.

• The Russian club have, however, won their last three home UEFA Champions League matches, group stage to final – and are unbeaten in four, since a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in March 2003.

• Lokomotiv won their first fixture against German opponents, a 1-0 success at Bayern München in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup first round first leg, but lost the home return 5-0 to the eventual winners, and have been beaten in all four subsequent games against Bundesliga outfits.

• The most recent such encounter in Moscow, a 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage, marked a third home reverse against German visitors – although it was the first in which Lokomotiv managed to score.

Schalke
• Bundesliga runners-up in 2017/18 – their highest league placing since 2009/10 – this is Schalke's first UEFA Champions League group campaign since 2014/15, their third successive appearance.

• The German club did not take part in European competition last season, having reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in 2016/17, where they lost to eventual runners-up Ajax.

• Semi-finalists in 2011, Schalke's last three UEFA Champions League campaigns have all ended in the round of 16.

• Schalke have won their last two away UEFA Champions League fixtures, most recently a remarkable 4-3 success at Real Madrid in the 2014/15 round of 16 second leg – although they were eliminated 5-4 on aggregate.

• Die Königsblauen's last away European game was a 2-0 loss at Ajax in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, setting up a 4-3 aggregate reverse. Schalke have lost only two of their last 12 away European engagements (W7 D3).

• Schalke's only previous trip to Russia brought a 1-0 win at Krasnodar in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stage; the German club went on to record a 2-0 home victory.

Links and trivia
• Benedikt Höwedes made 240 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke between 2007 and 2017. Together with Jefferson Farfán (2008–15), who scored 39 goals in 170 leagues matches for the club, he won the German Cup and Super Cup in 2011.

• Have played together:
Grzegorz Krychowiak & Yevhen Konoplyanka (Sevilla 2015/16)
Grzegorz Krychowiak & Benjamin Stambouli (Paris Saint-Germain 2016)
Éder & Hamza Mendyl (LOSC Lille 2016/17)

• Krychowiak scored Sevilla's opening goal in a 3-2 defeat of Konoplyanka's Dnipro in the 2015 UEFA Europa League final.

• Alessandro Schöpf scored Austria's winner in a 1-0 friendly defeat of a Russia side that included Lokomotiv's Fedor Smolov, Anton Miranchuk and Aleksei Miranchuk in May 2018.

• Has played in Germany:
Vedran Ćorluka (Bayer Leverkusen 2012)

• International team-mates:
Benedikt Höwedes & Sebastian Rudy (Germany)
Taras Mikhalik & Yevhen Konoplyanka (Ukraine, 2010–12)

Latest news

Lokomotiv Moskva
• Summer transfers
In: Rifat Zhemaletdinov (Rubin), Brian Idowu (Amkar Perm), Éder (LOSC Lille), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Paris Saint-Germain, loan), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar)
Out: Nemanja Pejčinović (released), Alan Kasaev (Baltika, loan), Vitali Denisov (Krylya Sovetov, loan)

• On 27 July Lokomotiv suffered a 1-0 extra-time defeat by CSKA in the Russian Super Cup.

• Lokomotiv picked up only two points from their first three Premier League matches – the worst start to a campaign by the defending champions in Russian history.

• Lokomotiv had gone three league matches without a victory, and conceded ten goals in three matches in all competitions, before beating Akhmat Grozny 2-0 at home on Saturday. Rifat Zhemaletdinov marked his first league appearance for Lokomotiv with the second goal.

• The Moscow club were 3-2 winners after extra time against Baltika Kaliningrad in the Russian Cup round of 32 on 26 September.

• Fedor Smolov suffered a shoulder injury against Baltika and is expected to be out for several weeks.

• Maciej Rybus suffered an adductor injury against Krasnodar on 1 September and has not played since; Aleksandr Kolomeytsev has not played this season due to a hip problem.

Schalke
• Summer transfers
In: Suat Serdar (Mainz), Salif Sané (Hannover), Steven Skrzybski (Union Berlin), Mark Uth (Hoffenheim), Omar Mascarell (Real Madrid), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern)
Out: Leon Goretzka (Bayern), Max Meyer (Crystal Palace), Pablo Insua (Huesca, loan), Coke (Levante), Benedikt Höwedes (Lokomotiv Moskva), Thilo Kehrer (Paris)

• Schalke lost their five games of the new Bundesliga season, matching their start to the league campaign in 2016/17, before beating Mainz 1-0 on Saturday.

• Alessandro Schöpf scored the only goal against Mainz, his first for Schalke since 28 April 2017.

• Domenico Tedesco's side have managed only three league goals so far – making them the lowest scorers in the Bundesliga.

• Weston McKennie suffered a bruised thigh in a 2-0 home loss against Bayern München on 22 September, but returned to training five days later.

• Steven Skrzybski has been out since 14 September due to a muscular injury, while Sascha Riether is yet to feature this season due to knee problems.

• Bastian Oczipca has been out since July due to groin surgery, while Benjamin Stambouli suffered an ankle injury in training on 20 August and is expected to be sidelined for more than two months.