Schalke v Asteras background

FC Schalke 04 will look to provide an early birthday present for coach Andre Breitenreiter as they take on Asteras Tripolis FC in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.

• Schalke's six games against Greek opposition have ended W3 D1 L2 (W1 D1 L1 at home – W2 D0 L1 in Greece). They are unbeaten in the most recent four of those matches (W3 D1).

• Asteras's only previous tie against a German team ended well – they won 3-1 at home after a 1-0 away defeat to eliminate 1. FSV Mainz 05 in last season's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. Current Schalke midfielder Johannes Geis featured in both legs for Mainz.

Form guide
• Schalke won 3-0 at APOEL FC on matchday one but they have lost their last two European home games without scoring: 5-0 against Chelsea FC and 2-0 against Real Madrid CF in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League.

• Asteras are without a win in their last five European fixtures (D3 L2), having drawn their three most recent matches.

• Schalke have made it to the round of 32 in two of their previous three UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns. They won the competition in 1997, beating FC Internazionale Milano on penalties in the two-legged final.

• Asteras failed to get through to the round of 32 on their maiden group stage appearance last term.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Tripolis to Gelsenkirchen is not far off 2,000km.

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar needs two more goals to reach 50 in UEFA club competition. Just 13 players have achieved that mark so far.

• Asteras left-back Kostas Giannoulis went to Germany to join 1. FC Köln in 2010 but left without making a first-team appearance.

• Schalke's Austrian reserve goalkeeper Michael Gspurning has played in Greece for Xanthi FC (2007–12) as well as PAOK FC and Platanias FC (both 2014).

The coaches
• Andre Breitenreiter took over at Schalke in June, having led SC Paderborn 07 to promotion in 2013/14, then steered them momentarily to the top of the Bundesliga. An attacking midfielder, he began his career with Hannover 96 and Hamburger SV yet spent the bulk of his playing days in the lower leagues.

• Breitenreiter turns 42 the day after the Asteras match.

• After a serious knee injury cut short his playing career, Staikos Vergetis dedicated himself to coaching, coming to Asteras as a youth specialist in 2006. He worked in various capacities, under 11 different coaches, before finally being given the senior job in October 2013.