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Matchday five in this season’s group stage
arrives with much to play for in Germany. Club historian Rick Glanvill
and club statistician Paul Dutton are ready for the Blues to take on
some familiar faces…
We are looking to extend our unbeaten record at the Veltins-Arena to four games, the previous a win and a draw against Schalke, and a win against Besiktas in 2003 when their home game was moved to Gelsenkirchen for safety reasons.
Although Schalke are unbeaten at home this season they are seventh-placed in the Bundesliga and results have been unpredictable even since Jens Keller made way for former Stamford Bridge (and Munich 2012) hero Roberto Di Matteo in October. On the road they have lost their last four straight.
TALKING POINTS
A win tonight will ensure Chelsea win our group for the ninth time in the last 11 attempts, and with one game still to play. A draw with two or more goals for the Blues would also secure a place in the Round of 16 draw on 15 December.We are looking to extend our unbeaten record at the Veltins-Arena to four games, the previous a win and a draw against Schalke, and a win against Besiktas in 2003 when their home game was moved to Gelsenkirchen for safety reasons.
Although Schalke are unbeaten at home this season they are seventh-placed in the Bundesliga and results have been unpredictable even since Jens Keller made way for former Stamford Bridge (and Munich 2012) hero Roberto Di Matteo in October. On the road they have lost their last four straight.
The Konigsblauen’s overall home record against English sides is won three, drawn two, lost three.
On Saturday they enjoyed a vital – and largely unexpected – home win over Kevin De Bruyne’s Wolfsburg, the club closest to runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern.
Di Matteo’s Royal Blues were 3-0 up after just 25 minutes through midfielder Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (two) and a free-kick from wing-back Christian Fuchs. Then Ivica Olic pulled one back a few minutes later and there were some nervous moments following Nicklas Bendtner’s 74th-minute strike.
Chelsea’s club record undefeated run in all competitions from the start of a season now stands at 18 games. It is no exaggeration to say Saturday’s comfortable defeat of West Bromwich Albion featured some of the most eye-catching football played at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho’s only concern would probably be the lack of decisiveness in front of goal. Man of the match for Albion, goalkeeper Ben Foster, has to take a lot of credit for ensuring the visitors’ damage-limitation exercise worked.
Our outstanding playmaker Cesc Fabregas, formerly of Arsenal and Barcelona, set up a goal for the 10th time this season before saying he didn’t remember when he enjoyed a football match more than that first half.
Our next Premier League opponents, Sunderland, have a free week to prepare for Saturday evening. When Chelsea visited Wearside almost 30 years ago in March 1985 it was under manager John Neal, who sadly died this week.
As UEFA’s anti-discrimination messages are displayed tonight it is worth acknowledging it was Neal who broke a race barrier at Stamford Bridge by introducing the likes of Paul Canoville, Keith Jones and Keith Dublin to the Blues’ first team in the early 1980s. Dublin played in that 2-0 win at Roker Park and Jones was on the bench.
Neal’s unshakeable belief in ability over ethnicity led the way for homegrowns such as Eddie Newton and Frank Sinclair as well as Players of the Year including Kenny Monkou, Paul Elliott, Ruud Gullit and, of course, our 2012 Champions League final winner Didier Drogba.
A new pitch was laid during the international break at the Veltins-Arena. They have a system which allows them to slide out the playing surface so it is more open to the elements.
Schalke will hope that Champions League football is still being played upon it when the weather improves in spring. Qualification for the knockout phase from Group G is still open to three teams. The Germans’ position is complicated by them being edged out by rivals Sporting in their head-to-head results (pictured below).
On Saturday they enjoyed a vital – and largely unexpected – home win over Kevin De Bruyne’s Wolfsburg, the club closest to runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern.
Di Matteo’s Royal Blues were 3-0 up after just 25 minutes through midfielder Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (two) and a free-kick from wing-back Christian Fuchs. Then Ivica Olic pulled one back a few minutes later and there were some nervous moments following Nicklas Bendtner’s 74th-minute strike.
Chelsea’s club record undefeated run in all competitions from the start of a season now stands at 18 games. It is no exaggeration to say Saturday’s comfortable defeat of West Bromwich Albion featured some of the most eye-catching football played at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho’s only concern would probably be the lack of decisiveness in front of goal. Man of the match for Albion, goalkeeper Ben Foster, has to take a lot of credit for ensuring the visitors’ damage-limitation exercise worked.
Our outstanding playmaker Cesc Fabregas, formerly of Arsenal and Barcelona, set up a goal for the 10th time this season before saying he didn’t remember when he enjoyed a football match more than that first half.
Our next Premier League opponents, Sunderland, have a free week to prepare for Saturday evening. When Chelsea visited Wearside almost 30 years ago in March 1985 it was under manager John Neal, who sadly died this week.
As UEFA’s anti-discrimination messages are displayed tonight it is worth acknowledging it was Neal who broke a race barrier at Stamford Bridge by introducing the likes of Paul Canoville, Keith Jones and Keith Dublin to the Blues’ first team in the early 1980s. Dublin played in that 2-0 win at Roker Park and Jones was on the bench.
Neal’s unshakeable belief in ability over ethnicity led the way for homegrowns such as Eddie Newton and Frank Sinclair as well as Players of the Year including Kenny Monkou, Paul Elliott, Ruud Gullit and, of course, our 2012 Champions League final winner Didier Drogba.
A new pitch was laid during the international break at the Veltins-Arena. They have a system which allows them to slide out the playing surface so it is more open to the elements.
Schalke will hope that Champions League football is still being played upon it when the weather improves in spring. Qualification for the knockout phase from Group G is still open to three teams. The Germans’ position is complicated by them being edged out by rivals Sporting in their head-to-head results (pictured below).
They may consider a point sufficient tonight providing Chelsea beat the Portuguese and they can see off bottom-placed Maribor in the final group matches on 10 December. Given their poor away form they may not. Mourinho will have complete clarity. He will be determined his men sort things out this evening, secure top slot and thus avoid the elite teams in the Round of 16.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Porto are already through.
Another Germany-England clash takes place tonight at the Etihad. Should Manchester City fail to beat group-winners Bayern, their future fate will be in the hands of others.
Elsewhere in Group G, any loser in the Sporting-Maribor clash will be eliminated from the knockout stages of this competition. Four of the Lisbon side are one booking away from missing their trip to Stamford Bridge in a fortnight’s time.
Other Group G fixture
Tonight 7.45pm Sporting Lisbon v Maribor
WE HAVE HISTORY
This is our third competitive meeting against Schalke at Veltins-Arena. The previous occasions were both in the Champions League group stages where we drew in 2007/08 and won last season.In all we have met five times in European competition (won three, drawn two).
The Blues’ last visit to Gelsenkirchen was in October last year and was a great night for Fernando Torres. Inside five minutes Branislav Ivanovic challenged for an in-swinging corner at the near post but the ball continued to that far stick where Torres stole in, crouched, and headed Chelsea into the lead.
More than an hour had elapsed before the Spaniard’s second, from a lightning counter-attack. Eden Hazard won the ball deep in the visitors’ half, skipping past two Schalke men before releasing Oscar. The Brazilian tore towards goal before squaring to Torres, who wrong-footed Timo Hildebrand and slotted low past him.
Torres’ hat-trick had been denied by the woodwork and the last goal of the game went to Hazard after another break from a Schalke attack. Ramires produced a deft long clearance straight into the darting Belgian’s path, with just one Schalke player covering.
Chelsea’s biggest away win in the Champions League:
20/10/1999 Galatasaray 0-5 Chelsea First group stage
Schalke’s biggest home win in the Champions League:
3-0 three times: most recently v Steaua Bucharest, 18/09/2013, group stage
TACTICAL BRIEF
For Schalke, the weekend’s home game against Wolfsburg was as tight
as the 3-2 scoreline suggests. The difference was that the Royal Blues
struck three times from six shots on target while the visitors had
plenty of attempts but barely troubled goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann.Roberto Di Matteo, who unforgettably won the 2012 Champions League while in charge of Chelsea, is instinctively conservative as a tactician. He sprang a tactical surprise against the Bundelisga’s second-placed club by setting up in a 5-3-2 formation that permitted wing-backs Atsuto Uchida (pictured below) and Christian Fuchs to attack at will. The Wolves took time to adapt and were three down before they did.
One of those in the heart of defence was
lofty Brazilian Felipe Santana, missing for the previous three months.
Another defender, Cameroonian Joel Job Matip, also returned from injury
as a substitute in central midfield to help see out the game. Wunderkind
Julian Draxler, however, remains sidelined.
Di Matteo may use the same system tonight (more likely with Dennis Aogo, suspended at the weekend, than Fuchs on the left), though he will be wary of Chelsea outmanoeuvring a five-man defence adapting to an unfamiliar system.
It was also noticeable that when Wolfsburg upped the tempo and passing they began to dominate the hosts. Jose Mourinho will be demanding intensity and energy from his team tonight, especially after the showing last time out at Maribor.
The Londoners probed patiently and cleverly, using the full width of the pitch, to create chances against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. The dazzling combination play between Chelsea’s attacking midfielders and full-backs will have concerned Di Matteo.
He will almost certainly consider special measures for Cesc Fabregas, the most regular creator of goalscoring opportunities. The Spaniard reached double figures in Premier League assists after twelve games on Saturday – the fastest on record.
Prolific Diego Costa has 11 goals in 10 league appearances but has yet to open his account in three Champions League matches this season. He was only a late sub in our 1-1 meeting back in mid-September, but is now back at full fitness.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will hopefully have learned the lesson from that match not to allow Dutch marksman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar space to shoot. His opportunistic shot from distance was enough to earn a point on matchday one and he has three goals from four games in this season’s competition.
Di Matteo may use the same system tonight (more likely with Dennis Aogo, suspended at the weekend, than Fuchs on the left), though he will be wary of Chelsea outmanoeuvring a five-man defence adapting to an unfamiliar system.
It was also noticeable that when Wolfsburg upped the tempo and passing they began to dominate the hosts. Jose Mourinho will be demanding intensity and energy from his team tonight, especially after the showing last time out at Maribor.
The Londoners probed patiently and cleverly, using the full width of the pitch, to create chances against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. The dazzling combination play between Chelsea’s attacking midfielders and full-backs will have concerned Di Matteo.
He will almost certainly consider special measures for Cesc Fabregas, the most regular creator of goalscoring opportunities. The Spaniard reached double figures in Premier League assists after twelve games on Saturday – the fastest on record.
Prolific Diego Costa has 11 goals in 10 league appearances but has yet to open his account in three Champions League matches this season. He was only a late sub in our 1-1 meeting back in mid-September, but is now back at full fitness.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will hopefully have learned the lesson from that match not to allow Dutch marksman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar space to shoot. His opportunistic shot from distance was enough to earn a point on matchday one and he has three goals from four games in this season’s competition.
CHELSEA IN NUMBERS
We start our 12th successive season in the Champions League and 13th overall.The Blues have topped our group in nine of our 12 Champions League campaigns. In 1999/2000 there were two group stages where we were runners-up in the second one. We have only failed to progress to the knockout stage once in 2012/13.
Chelsea are seeking to extend our unbeaten away record in all competitions to 14 games (nine wins, four draws) since we lost at Paris Saint-Germain on 2 April.
Our last defeat of any kind was 20 games ago in April when we lost to Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
The last four penalties Petr Cech faced in the Champions League (including shoot-outs) have not been scored (three saved, one hit post).
Our record in Germany is two wins, three draws and four defeats.
| Chelsea’s away record against German teams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965/66 | TSV Munich 1860 | D 2-2 | Fairs Cup quarter-final first leg (agg 3-2) |
| 1999/00 | Hertha Berlin | L 1-2 | Champions League group stage |
| 2003/04 | VfB Stuttgart | W 1-0 | Champions League Rd of 16 first leg (agg 1-0) |
| 2004/05 | Bayern Munich | L 2-3 | Champions League quarter-final second leg (agg 6-5) |
| 2006/07 | Werder Bremen | L 0-1 | Champions League group stage |
| 2007/08 | Schalke | D 0-0 | Champions League group stage |
| 2011/12 | Bayer Leverkusen | L 1-2 | Champions League group stage |
| 2011/12 | Bayern Munich | D 1-1 (won on pens) | Champions League final |
| 2013/14 | Schalke | W 3-0 | Champions League group stage |
| Chelsea’s last ten years in Europe | |
|---|---|
| 2004/05 | Champions League – semi-final |
| 2005/06 | Champions League – round of 16 |
| 2006/07 | Champions League – semi-final |
| 2007/08 | Champions League – runners-up |
| 2008/09 | Champions League – semi-final |
| 2009/10 | Champions League – round of 16 |
| 2010/11 | Champions League – quarter-final |
| 2011/12 | Champions League – winners |
| 2012/13 | Europa League – winners, having transferred from the Champions League group stage |
| 2013/14 | Champions League – semi-final |
Last six results
Champions League scorers (9)
Hazard 2 (1 pen), Drogba 1 (pen), Matic 1, Fabregas 1, Matic 1, Remy 1, Terry 1, own goal 1.
Champions League assists (11)
Assists are judged not for the last touch but by the subjective view of the club statistician for a crucial part played in the goal.
Fabregas 3, Hazard 3, Terry 2, Ake 1, Filipe Luis 1, Ivanovic 1.
Champions League shots on target (34)
Hazard 10, Drogba 5, Diego Costa 3, Remy 3, Schurrle 3, Matic 2, Terry 2, Fabregas 1, Ivanovic 1, Oscar 1, Ramires 1, Salah 1, Zouma 1.
Champions League games since
An away win: 1
An away draw: 0
An away defeat: 3
Chelsea’s next three games
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