IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
The Amsterdam outfit's supporters unfurled an offensive banner aimed at Champions League Group H opponents Celtic on November 6 and have been fined €25,000
Ajax have been fined €25,000 by Uefa after their fans displayed an offensive banner during their Champions League clash with Celtic.
The Dutch side beat the Scottish champions 1-0 on November 6 to leapfrog them into third place in Group H, with midfielder Lasse Schone netting the only goal of the game.
However, the defending Eredivisie champions have been hit with the sanction after the governing body found that their supporters had been guilty of improper conduct by unfurling the banner at the Amsterdam Arena.
A statement on the Ajax website read: "Ajax have been fined by Uefa after a banner appeared on the stands of the Amsterdam ArenA during the match against Celtic FC.
"The banner was aimed at Ajax's opponents that night. Uefa imposed a fine of 25,000 euros.
"The possible penalty for such an offense is a fine of 50,000 euros plus the closure of some parts of the stadium at the next European home game.
"After a prompt and adequate response from Ajax the fine was halved and the partial closure averted. The penalty will be recovered from those responsible."
Ajax could be punished further following crowd trouble during their visit to Celtic on October 22 and another disciplinary hearing is set to take place, with a ruling expected on November 21.
'Juventus will not be intimidated by Galatasaray,' insists Chiellini
By Oliver Young-Myles34
Nov 17, 2013 2:59:00 PM
The versatile centre-half is well aware that their European fate is likely to be decided in Istanbul next month but he is not concerned by the hostile atmosphere that awaits
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini remains confident that his side can progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League - even though they face a daunting showdown with Galatasaray.
The Bianconeri have picked up just three points from their first four games and face Danish side Copenhagen at home next week before a potentially decisive trip to Turkey.
Speaking to Tuttosport, Chiellini insisted his side will not be upset by the likely hostile atmosphere that awaits them in Instanbul.
“We will not be intimidated by the whistles and screams from the crowd," the Italy international declared.
"Of course, the home team can benefit from the atmosphere and give their best, but we will not let it affect us.
"Though I should also point out we have a tough game against Copenhagen first.”
Chiellini also took time to praise his manager Antonio Conte for rejuvenating the club following his arrival from Siena in 2011.
"He is very good - he evaluates everything according to the moment," the versatile centre-half explained.
"I never thought he could change so much in so little time. I lived through both seventh-placed finishes [before Conte's arrival], which were much worse than Calciopoli and Serie B.
"To immediately recover and win the league unbeaten will remain forever in the history of Juventus as unique and special.”
AFC Ajax need to end a dismal run against Spanish opponents when FC Barcelona come to town if they are to keep their UEFA Champions League ambitions alive.
Neymar and Kolbeinn Sigthórsson compete for possession during Ajax's 4-0 loss at the Camp Nou
FC Barcelona may have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the tenth year running, but for AFC Ajax there is still everything to play for when the teams meet in Amsterdam on matchday five.
• Ajax stayed in the race for qualification by beating Celtic FC last time out and they enter the meeting with Barcelona third in Group H but aware that a victory would lift them up to second should AC Milan falter at Celtic Park. Should Ajax lose and Milan win, though, the Dutch champions would be eliminated.
• As for Gerardo Martino's Barcelona, they know that a repeat of their matchday one home victory over Ajax would guarantee them first place in the group, whatever the result in Glasgow.
Match background
• Ajax are looking to end a dismal run of nine straight defeats against Spanish opposition. In each of the past three seasons they lost home and away to Real Madrid CF in the group stage – suffering a trio of heavy home losses (1-4 in 2012/13, 0-3 in 2011/12 and 0-4 in 2010/11).
• Overall Ajax have lost their last four home games against Spanish visitors, with their last victory coming against RC Celta de Vigo in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage, Zlatan Ibrahimović the scorer.
• Ajax's complete home record against Spanish opposition is W8 D3 L5.
• Barcelona are making their first visit to the Netherlands since the 1997/98 group stage and a 2-2 draw at PSV Eindhoven. It was also at PSV that they last won on Dutch soil, Sergi Barjuán hitting the 78th-minute goal that earned a 3-2 victory on the night and 5-4 aggregate success in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
• The Blaugrana's overall record away to Dutch clubs is W2 D3 L1.
• This is Barcelona's first visit to Amsterdam for a competitive fixture – a surprise considering the connections between two clubs with a famous link in the iconic figure of Johan Cruyff, who won the European Cup three times with Ajax as a player before coaching Barcelona to their first title in 1992. Ajax coach Frank de Boer is another man to have played for both clubs, having represented Barcelona between 1999 and 2003.
• Ajax have hosted Barcelona in a series of friendly matches down the years:
1960: Ajax 3-4 Barcelona
1975: Ajax 3-1 Barcelona
1993: Ajax 2-4 Barcelona
1999: Ajax 2-2 Barcelona
2002: Ajax 4-3 Barcelona
• Barcelona lifted the 1996/97 European Cup Winners' Cup after a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. At the same venue they had lost the 1990/91 final 2-1 to Manchester United FC.
Team ties
• As a Barcelona player, De Boer won the Spanish league title in 1999 alongside twin brother Ronald.
• De Boer played – brother Ronald scoring – when Ajax won 3-2 at Club Atlético de Madrid in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals to secure a 4-3 aggregate success.
• De Boer scored twice against Spain as a Netherlands player, hitting the winner in a 2-1 friendly victory on the night Carles Puyol made his international debut in November 2000. He later got the only goal when the Oranje beat Spain in another friendly in March 2002, with Puyol once more in opposition.
• De Boer was an assistant coach of the Netherlands team beaten 1-0 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final by a goal from Andrés Iniesta.
• Bojan Krkić scored 26 times in 104 Liga appearances for Barcelona between 2007 and 2011.
• In two seasons with Sevilla FC between 2006 and 2008 Christian Poulsen came up against Barcelona six times, winning once.
• As an Arsenal player, Cesc Fàbregas faced Ajax in the 2005/06 group stage, winning 2-1 in Amsterdam in September 2005 and drawing 0-0 in London three months later. The following season he was in the Arsenal side eliminated on away goals by PSV in the round of 16. Javier Mascherano's Liverpool FC beat PSV in the next round.
• Niklas Moisander captained Finland in their 1-1 draw with Spain in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in Gijon on 22 March this year. Iniesta, Fàbregas, Víctor Valdés, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and substitute Pedro Rodríguez all featured for Spain.
• Moisander was also Finland skipper in their 2-0 home defeat by Spain on 6 September, Alba scoring the visitors' first goal in Helsinki. Iniesta, Xavi, Fàbregas and Pedro were also in the Spain lineup.
• Danny Hoesen was in the Netherlands side beaten 3-0 by Spain in the group stage of June's UEFA European Under-21 Championship – a match that Martín Montoya, Marc Bartra and Cristian Tello watched from the bench.
FC Porto are looking to boost their qualifying hopes with a belated first home win in Group G when they welcome bottom club FK Austria Wien on matchday five.
Silvestre Varela sums up Porto's frustration during their home defeat by Zenit
FC Porto are looking for their belated first home points in Group G as they bid to keep alive their qualification hopes against FK Austria Wien.
• Beaten at home by both Club Atlético de Madrid and FC Zenit, Paulo Fonseca's men sit third in the group but would move up to second should they beat Austria and Zenit slip up at home to Atlético.
• As for Nenad Bjelica's Austria, the UEFA Champions League newcomers need a victory to revive their faint hopes of climbing off the foot of Group G. If they fail to win and Zenit pick up at least a point, they will be confirmed as the bottom club.
Previous meetings
• Porto beat Christoph Daum's Austria in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup second round en route to winning the trophy under José Mourinho. Derlei struck the only goal of the first leg in Vienna after 70 minutes and scored again in the return, making it 2-0 with four minutes remaining to add to Hélder Postiga's first-half goal.
• The lineups on 14 November 2002 at Porto's old Estádio das Antas were:
Porto: Baía, Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, Pedro Emanuel, Valente, Costinha, Maniche (Alenichev 83), Deco, Clayton (Capucho 46), Derlei, Postiga (Jankauskas 73).
Austria Wien: Mandl, Scharner, Akoto, Ratajczyk, Dheedene, Janočko (Rushfeldt 83), Flögel (Kvisvik 61), Wagner, Hašek, Gilewicz (Linz 63), Helstad.
Match background
• Porto have never failed to win any of their home games in a UEFA Champions League group stage. Even if they win, they are already guaranteed their lowest return from three home fixtures at this 32-team stage of the competition, though they did take three points in the second group stage in 2001/02.
• Porto will nevertheless start as strong favourites given that Austria have taken just one point so far in Group G and failed to score. They are 180 minutes away from becoming the first side without a single goal to their name in the UEFA Champions League group stage since Maccabi Haifa FC in 2009/10.
• Although they lost 4-0 at Atlético on matchday four, Austria had previously earned three successive clean sheets away in this season's competition – against FH Hafnarfjördur (0-0) and GNK Dinamo Zagreb (2-0) in qualifying, and Zenit (0-0) on matchday two.
• Austria have tasted defeat on all four of their previous visits to Portugal. Besides their 2002 reverse against Porto they twice lost at SL Benfica – 5-1 in the 1961/62 European Cup first round and 3-0 in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round – and went down 5-1 at CD Nacional in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League group stage. Tomáš Jun, Manuel Ortlechner and Markus Suttner all featured in that match in Funchal.
• Porto kicked off their 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage campaign with a 3-0 victory over SK Rapid Wien, with Rolando (26), Falcao (65) and Rúben Micael (77) scoring. Helton, Maicon, Jorge Fucile, and Fernando all played that night for André Villas-Boas' side who won the return 3-1 in Vienna and went on to lift the trophy that season.
Team ties
• Marat Izmailov was in the FC Lokomotiv Moskva team beaten 1-0 at home by Rapid Wien in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, with Roman Kienast an unused substitute for the visitors.
• Kienast was in the Austria side beaten 6-3 by Portugal in the 2003 UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals.
• Steven Defour was in the R. Standard de Liège side that beat FC Salzburg 3-2 on aggregate in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League round of 32. Defour later helped Belgium win 2-0 against Austria in Vienna in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier in March 2011, which Ortlechner watched from the home bench.
• The clubs have a connection in coach Hermann Stessl, who had three separate spells in charge of Austria between the late 70s and early 90s and was also Porto coach for a year between 1980 and '81.
Disappointed to lose their long unbeaten home record in the UEFA Champions League group stage on matchday one, Chelsea FC will be looking for revenge against FC Basel 1893.
Marco Streller and Mohamed Salah were Basel's match winners at Stamford Bridge
Despite losing at home to FC Basel 1893 on matchday one, Chelsea FC travel to Switzerland knowing a draw would be sufficient to book their place in the knockout rounds.
• Although Oscar gave Chelsea the half-time lead at Stamford Bridge, two late goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller provided a flying start to the group campaign for the visitors. It was the first time Basel had won in England and Chelsea's first reverse in 30 home group matches in the competition.
• The Swiss champions then lost at home to FC Schalke 04 before a 1-1 draw at FC Steaua Bucureşti, the return three weeks ago ending the same way after Giovanni Sio's equaliser in added time. It left Basel in third place on five points, one behind Schalke.
• On matchday two José Mourinho's team won 4-0 in Bucharest and followed that two 3-0 victories against Schalke to go three points clear in first place, meaning a fourth consecutive win in Basel would make sure of top spot with a game to spare. Indeed, should Schalke fail to beat Steaua in Bucharest, a point would suffice.
Previous meetings
• The teams met in last season's UEFA Europa League semi-final, the first competitive encounter between the sides. In the Switzerland first leg, David Luiz's stoppage-time free-kick earned Chelsea a 2-1 advantage after Fabian Schär's late penalty had cancelled out Victor Moses' first-half opener.
• In the return Chelsea scored three goals in ten second-half minutes, through Fernando Torres, Moses and Luiz again, after Salah had brought Basel level on aggregate on the stroke of half-time. Basel were thus denied becoming the first Swiss side to make it to the final of a major UEFA club tournament.
• The teams at St. Jakob-Park on 25 April were:
Basel: Sommer, Park, Schär, Steinhöfer, F Frei, Stocker, Elneny (Zoua 65), Salah (D Degen 78), Die (Díaz 61), Streller, P Degen.
Chelsea: Čech, Azpilicueta, Ivanović, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Luiz, Lampard (Oscar 79), Moses, Hazard (Mata 70), Torres.
• Basel have lost four of their ten home fixtures against English opposition with three wins and three draws. Their only victory in their last four home games was a significant one – the 2-1 success over Manchester United FC on matchday six of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League enabling them to qualify for the knockout rounds at their opponents' expense.
• Basel eliminated Tottenham Hotspur FC in last season's UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, prevailing 4-1 on spot kicks after two 2-2 draws. Their record against English teams overall reads W4 D7 L10.
• In their only previous Swiss assignment, Chelsea lost to FC St Gallen in the first round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup. They went down 2-0 in Zurich, when John Terry was an unused substitute, after winning the home leg 1-0.
Match background
• Apart from the win over Manchester United two years ago, Basel also beat FC Oţelul Galaţi 2-1 at home and lost 2-0 against SL Benfica. In the round of 16 they beat FC Bayern München 1-0 at home but succumbed 7-0 away.
• This season they won both home games in qualifying for a fifth group stage campaign, 2-0 over PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (6-2 on aggregate) and 1-0 against Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (4-3 on aggregate).
• After defeating Basel last season, Chelsea went on to beat Benfica 2-1 in the UEFA Europa League final in Amsterdam thanks to Branislav Ivanović's header in the last minute of added time. Torres had fired Rafael Benítez's side ahead on the hour with Óscar Cardozo equalising from the spot.
• With their win in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League, Chelsea thus became the first side to win UEFA's two top club competitions in reverse order in successive seasons. They also became only the fourth side to win all three of UEFA's major club competitions having also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1970/71 and 1997/98.
• The Blues have finished as group winners in seven of their last ten campaigns, qualifying for the knockout rounds as runners-up in two of the other years. Last year, however, they became the first UEFA Champions League holders to have their title defence ended in the group stage, losing at FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus after a 4-0 victory at FC Nordsjælland.
• Mourinho has lifted the UEFA Champions League with both FC Porto (2004) and FC Internazionale Milano (2010) and is bidding to become the first manager to win the European Cup with three different teams. Only Bob Paisley (Liverpool FC 1977, 1978, 1981) has won the trophy three times as a coach.
Team ties
• Philipp Degen played alongside Torres at Liverpool FC between 2008 and 2011 but never appeared against Chelsea.
• Basel coach Murat Yakin lost 3-0 with Switzerland against England in a UEFA EURO 2004 group fixture in Coimbra on 17 June. Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Terry featured on the other side.
• David Degen and Matías Delgado scored past Mark Schwarzer in Basel's 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough FC in the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg on 30 March 2006; the Swiss side lost the return 4-1.
• On 19 May 2010 Eden Hazard missed a penalty in Belgium's 2-1 friendly win over Ivan Ivanov's Bulgaria.
• Ivanov and Bulgaria lost 1-0 to Petr Čech's Czech Republic in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Sofia on 15 October.
Celtic FC welcome AC Milan to Glasgow knowing that the night could end with them in second place in Group H or eliminated from the UEFA Champions League altogether.
Neil Lennon's team must channel the power of Celtic Park once more as Milan visit
Celtic FC will aim to seize their big opportunity when AC Milan visit Glasgow on matchday five.
• The Scottish title holders may sit bottom of Group H but, with just two points separating them from second-placed Milan, they would overtake the Rossoneri with victory. Indeed they would jump into second place themselves should they win and section leaders FC Barcelona beat AFC Ajax in the group's other fixture.
• Given the congestion in the standings, Milan could end the night bottom of the group but could equally finish it with a ticket to the last 16 for the fifth year running in the event of an away win at Celtic Park and a Barcelona success in Amsterdam.
Past meetings
• The clubs traded home wins when they met in the 2007/08 group stage. Scott McDonald's 89th-minute winner earned Celtic a 2-1 home success following goals by Stephen McManus (61) and Kaká (68), but Carlo Ancelotti's men avenged that defeat with a 1-0 victory at San Siro in their final group fixture, Filippo Inzaghi scoring (70). Gordon Strachan's Celtic still joined Milan in the last 16 as group runners-up.
• Milan had beaten Celtic in the 2006/07 round of 16 on their way to winning the trophy. After a goalless draw at Celtic Park, Kaká's extra-time strike in the return leg earned the Rossoneri victory. Bonera is another survivor of that tie, while Lennon played for Celtic.
• Lennon also featured at San Siro when Milan struck with two late goals in the clubs' 2004/05 group stage meeting, the hosts earning a 3-1 win through Inzaghi (89) and Andrea Pirlo (90+1) after Stanislav Varga had equalised Andriy Shevchenko's first-half opener. The return in Glasgow finished goalless.
• Celtic visited Milan for the first time in 1968/69, drawing 0-0 in the first leg of their European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final tie. However, Piero Prati's lone goal (12) at Celtic sent Milan through and they went on to lift the trophy.
Match background
• Celtic have won eight of their last 11 European fixtures in Glasgow. Including the qualifying rounds, they have won four of five matches at Celtic Park this season, the only blip being their 1-0 defeat against Barcelona on matchday two.
• Overall Celtic have a superb home record in the UEFA Champions League group stage, which reads W16 D5 L2.
• Milan are still seeking their first win on their European travels this term. Prior to losing at Barcelona in their last fixture, they had posted 1-1 draws at PSV Eindhoven in the play-offs and Ajax on matchday two.
• Milan have failed to win in Scotland on their last four visits, their last success coming against Celtic in 1969. Their overall record in the country is W2 D2 L3.
• Beaten 2-0 at Milan on matchday one, Celtic also lost their most recent home encounter with Serie A opposition, a 3-0 defeat against Juventus in last season's round of 16. Alessandro Matri scored the opening goal, just as he did in Juve's 2-0 victory back in Turin. Celtic's overall record against Italian visitors is W4 D4 L2.
• Their most memorable contest against a Serie A side was the first, a 2-1 triumph against FC Internazionale Milano in the 1966/67 European Champion Clubs' Cup final in Lisbon.
Team ties
• Scott Brown was in the Scotland team whose UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying hopes ended with a 2-1 home defeat by Italy in Glasgow on 17 November 2007. Brown's Scotland had been beaten away by an Italy team including Riccardo Montolivo and Giampaolo Pazzini in a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier in March 2005.
• Nir Biton's hosts Israel lost 4-0 against Italy at this summer's European U21 Championship, Riccardo Saponara opening the scoring.
• Mikael Lustig's Sweden lost 2-1 against Italy in the 2009 European U21 Championship group stage. Mario Balotelli scored and was sent off for Italy, who also had Ignazio Abate in their team.
• Efe Ambrose's Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 CAF Africa Cup of Nations after being held 2-2 at home by Kevin Constant's Guinea in October 2011.
Published: Tuesday 19 November 2013, 9.45CET
A draw at Borussia Dortmund will be enough to put SSC Napoli in the knockout rounds while the German team need the three points to revitalise their own prospects.
Gonzalo Higuaín (right) and Lorenzo Insigne scored Napoli's matchday one goals against Dortmund
A draw at Borussia Dortmund would be enough for SSC Napoli to qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds for the second time in three seasons although defeat would mean the home team join them on nine points in Group F.
• On matchday one, the first competitive fixture between the sides, Gonzalo Higuaín's debut goal (29) for Napoli gave the hosts the lead against the 2013 runners-up who then lost Roman Weidenfeller to a red card. An unstoppable free-kick from Lorenzo Insigne (67) made it 2-0 with a Camilo Zúñiga own goal (87) ensuring a tense finale.
• Dortmund followed that by beating Olympique de Marseille and winning at Arsenal FC, only for a 1-0 home defeat against the English club to leave their prospects in the balance.
• Napoli, in only their second UEFA Champions League campaign, lost at Arsenal on matchday two but two wins against Marseille took them on to nine points, level with Arsenal and three ahead of third-placed Dortmund.
Previous meetings
• Before this season, Dortmund had not played an Italian side since the 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round tie with Udinese Calcio in which the away team prevailed 2-0 in both legs, the German club losing 4-3 on penalties. Gökhan Inler scored Udinese's second goal in the first leg.
• Dortmund, who are in their seventh UEFA Champions League campaign, did not beat Italian opponents until their eighth fixture. They have struggled in their last two home games against Serie A visitors, also losing 1-0 to AC Milan in the 2002/03 second group stage.
• In 28 games against Serie A sides Dortmund's record is W9 D4 L15; at home it is W5 D3 L6.
• The win at the Stadio San Paolo on 18 September was Napoli's first in eight fixtures against German opponents – the previous seven had brought five defeats.
• Their overall record is W4 D4 L7; away it is W0 D3 L4.
• One of those away games has a special place in Napoli's history as it gave their only European trophy, the 1989 UEFA Cup. Diego Maradona's team followed a 2-1 home win over VfB Stuttgart with a 3-3 draw in Germany.
• In that campaign they also beat two other German opponents: 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig, 3-1 on aggregate in the second round, and FC Bayern München, 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
Match background
• Dortmund's greatest moment came when they beat an Italian team, Juventus, 3-1 in Munich to lift the 1997 UEFA Champions League. Last season was their most successful campaign since then, remaining unbeaten until the semi-final second leg when they lost 2-0 at Real Madrid CF.
• That did not prevent Jürgen Klopp's team, 4-1 winners in the home leg, from advancing to the Wembley final where domestic rivals Bayern beat them 2-1.
• Napoli's second heaviest defeat in Europe came on German soil – a 5-1 loss at SV Werder Bremen in the 1989/90 UEFA Cup third round.
• The Marseille win on matchday three improved Napoli's record on their European travels in recent campaigns. They have now won three and lost eight of their last 14 away games.
• In last season's UEFA Europa League they lost 3-0 at PSV Eindhoven and 3-1 at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the group before a 2-1 win at AIK. Their hopes ended in the round of 32 when FC Viktoria Plzeň won 3-0 in Naples en route to a 5-0 aggregate triumph.
Team ties
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started his career in AC Milan's youth system while Sokratis Papastathopoulos was with the Rossoneri in 2010/11, appearing five times in Serie A.
• Papastathopoulos also featured for Genoa CFC between 2008 and 2010 where he was a team-mate of Giandomenico Mesto.
• Nuri Şahin played alongside Higuaín, José María Callejón and Raúl Albiol at Real Madrid in 2011/12. While on loan at Liverpool last season he was a team-mate of Pepe Reina.
• Gonzalo Higuaín took part in all four Real Madrid games against Dortmund last season but did not score. Callejón was a substitute in the 2-2 draw in Madrid while Raúl Albiol was an unused replacement in all four encounters.
• Mats Hummels and Marco Reus scored in Germany's 5-3 defeat by Inler's Switzerland in Basel on 26 May 2012. Marcel Schmelzer, Sven Bender and Gündoğan also played for Germany.
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan was also on target in Armenia's 2-2 draw with Lorenzo Insigne's Italy in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Naples on 15 October.
• Mkhitaryan also scored in Armenia's 3-1 defeat by Christian Maggio's Italy in a World Cup qualifier in Yerevan on 12 October 2012.
Comfortable 3-0 winners against FC Steaua Bucureşti on matchday one, another three points in Romania would allow FC Schalke 04 to consolidate second place in Group B.
Kevin-Prince Boateng was on target for Schalke at home to Steaua
FC Schalke 04 were 3-0 victors against FC Steaua Bucureşti on matchday one and will be seeking to respond to successive defeats by Chelsea FC with another victory against a home side still awaiting their first Group E win.
• Steaua looked to be holding their own in the 18 September fixture before Schalke seized the initiative via an Atsuto Uchida cross (67). The home team then scored twice more through Kevin-Prince Boateng (78) and Julian Draxler (85).
• The Romanian champions followed that with a 4-0 home defeat against Chelsea before putting their first point – and goal – on the board in a 1-1 draw with FC Basel 1893 in Bucharest. They were minutes away from that first victory in Switzerland only for Basel to earn a 1-1 draw in added time, leaving Steaua on two points at the foot of the table.
• Schalke won 1-0 in Basel on matchday two but then lost 3-0 home and away to Chelsea and have six points, three behind the Blues.
Previous meetings
• The sides met in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage when it ended 0-0 in Cluj-Napoca, Schalke winning 2-1 in Germany. Kyriakos Papadopoulos (25) put the German side ahead and although Raul Rusescu quickly equalised (33), Raúl González (57) scored Schalke's winner.
• The teams in Romania on 15 September 2011 were:
Steaua: Tătăruşanu, Brandán, Latovlevici, Gardoş, M Costea (Nikolić 80), Bourceanu, Galamaz, Prepeliţă (Rusescu 67), Geraldo Alves, Tănase (F Costea 90), Tatu.
Schalke: Fährmann, Papadopoulos, Höwedes, Uchida, Fuchs, Matip, Farfán (Baumjohann 80), Holtby, Raúl, Huntelaar, Marica (Draxler 73).
• Steaua's long winless run against German teams continued last season when they were paired with VfB Stuttgart in the UEFA Europa League group stage, going down 5-1 in Bucharest after a 2-2 draw away.
• Their 17 fixtures against German sides have ended W1 D6 L10; at home it is W1 D3 L3.
• Steaua's lone victory came in the second leg of the 1957/58 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round, beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1. They had lost the away leg 4-2 and went down 3-1 in the replay on neutral ground in Bologna. It was the first of 14 games spanning almost 56 years against Bundesliga sides in which they have failed to win.
• Schalke met FC Sportul Studenţesc Bucureşti in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup second round, winning 1-0 away and 4-0 at home in their only previous tie against a Romanian side.
Match background
• Steaua are the only Romanian club to have won the European Cup, defeating FC Barcelona in a penalty shoot-out in the 1986 final.
• This is their first time in the group stage since 2008/09 and their seventh campaign overall. In those 40 matches they have amassed just four wins and 13 draws.
• Their last victory came at FC Dynamo Kyiv on 13 September 2006, since when they have recorded 15 defeats and six draws. At home they have not won in four campaigns including this one, their last success a 1-0 defeat of RTS Widzew Łódź on 16 October 1996.
• Their away form served Laurenţiu Reghecampf's team well in this season's qualifying rounds, a 2-2 draw at Legia Warszawa taking them through the play-offs on away goals after a 1-1 home draw. They also won at FC Dinamo Tbilisi (2-0) and FK Vardar (2-1).
• In their fifth group stage campaign, Schalke have emerged as winners of their section in their past two UEFA Champions League participations.
• After a 1-1 home draw with PAOK FC in the play-offs, Jens Keller's Schalke survived Jermaine Jones' red card to win 3-2 in Greece.
• Schalke were unbeaten in four away games (W2 D2) in last season's competition and the matchday four defeat at Chelsea was just their second in their last 13 European away fixtures.
• Last season they won at Olympiacos FC (2-1) and Arsenal FC (2-0) before drawing 1-1 away to Montpellier Hérault SC and Galatasaray AŞ, losing 3-2 at home to the Turkish team in the round of 16 second leg.
Team ties
• Steaua coach Laurenţiu Reghecampf had spells as a player in Germany at 1. FC Energie Cottbus, Alemannia Aachen and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In seven meetings with Schalke he suffered six defeats with a solitary victory.
• He came up against Keller, who played for 1. FC Köln (2000-2002) and Eintracht Frankfurt (2002-2005).
• As assistant coach, Keller's VfB Stuttgart eliminated FC Timişoara in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League play-offs with a 2-0 aggregate victory. Alexandru Bourceanu and Iasmin Latovlevici were with Timişoara at the time.
• Łukasz Szukała has both Polish and German citizenship. He started with SV Eintracht Trier 05's youth team before playing for TSV 1860 München and Aachen.
• Substitute Alexandru Chipciu scored an added-time equaliser to earn Romania a 2-2 draw against Szalai's Hungary in a 2014 FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifier in Budapest on 22 March 2013. Ciprian Tătăruşanu, Mihai Pintilii, Alexandru Bourceanu also featured for the visitors.
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored in the Netherlands' 2-0 win over Romania in the UEFA EURO 2008 group stage in Berne.
• Fernando Varela's Cape Verde Islands lost 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on 2 February 2013 in Port Elizabeth against a Ghana team who had Anthony Annan on the bench.
Published: Tuesday 19 November 2013, 9.45CET
Arsenal FC won 2-1 at Olympique de Marseille on matchday one and will be hoping to post a return victory as their fight with SSC Napoli for the leadership of Group F intensifies.
Aaron Ramsey scored Arsenal's decisive goal on matchday one
Arsenal FC won 2-1 at Olympique de Marseille on matchday one and will be hoping to follow up with another victory to strengthen their hopes of finishing top of Group F.
• Theo Walcott (65) and Aaron Ramsey (83) fired the north London team to a hard-fought success at the Stade Vélodrome, with Jordan Ayew reducing the deficit with an added-time penalty.
• Arsène Wenger's men followed that by beating SSC Napoli but then lost at home to Borussia Dortmund. They turned the tables in Germany, Ramsey scoring the only goal which took the Gunners to nine points, level at the top with SSC Napoli with Dortmund three behind.
• On matchday two Marseille went down in Dortmund and their losing run continued with a home loss against Napoli.They also lost 3-2 in Naples on matchday four to bow out of the competition.
Previous meetings
• Arsenal had the better of it when the sides met in the 2011/12 edition, winning 1-0 away through Ramsey's late winner with the London return ending goalless. The Gunners thus beat OM to first place in the section, finishing one point ahead.
• The lineups at the Arsenal Stadium on 1 November 2011 were:
Arsenal: Szczęsny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, André Santos, Song, Arteta, Ramsey (Rosický 66), Walcott, Gervinho (Arshavin 77), Park (Van Persie 62).
Marseille: Mandanda, Fanni, Diawara, N'Koulou, Morel, Diarra, Valbuena (Lucho González 74), Cheyrou, A Ayew, Rémy (Amalfitano 69), J Ayew (Gignac 84).
• It is the third successive season that Arsenal have faced French opponents in the UEFA Champions League. A year ago on matchday five they beat Montpellier Hérault SC 2-0 to register their first win in the competition at home to Ligue 1 sides.
• In the four previous UEFA Champions League games Arsenal had lost two and drawn two, although their overall home record against French visitors is W4 D3 L2.
• Marseille have only recorded one victory in 11 visits to England, beating Liverpool FC 1-0 in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage. They have lost six of the other ten games.
• Their game at Arsenal in 2011/12 was their third visit to England in 15 months. In the previous campaign they lost 2-0 away to Chelsea FC and 2-1 at Manchester United FC in the round of 16.
Match background
• The Gunners are in the group stage for the 16th season in a row. For the sixth time in eight campaigns they had to negotiate a qualifying round, dispatching Fenerbahçe SK 5-0 on aggregate in the play-offs with Ramsey scoring three times.
• Last year Arsenal departed in the round of 16 for the third season in a row, losing 3-1 at home to FC Bayern München and then bowing out on away goals despite a 2-0 success in Munich. It was the 13th successive time that they had made it through the group.
• Marseille are in their ninth UEFA Champions League campaign with last season's absence ending a run of five successive years in the competition. The quarter-final appearance two years ago was their first since becoming the tournament's inaugural winners in 1993.
• In last season's UEFA Europa League group stage, OM lost at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (0-2) and AEL Limassol FC (0-3) and drew 2-2 at Fenerbahçe SK.
Team ties
• Mathieu Flamini began his career at OM, making his senior debut in December 2003. At the end of that season he joined Arsenal for the first time.
• Arsène Wenger was a defender with RC Strasbourg and began his coaching career with AS Nancy-Lorraine and AS Monaco FC.
• Bacary Sagna (AJ Auxerre 2004–2007), Laurent Koscielny (EA Guingamp 2004–2007, Tours FC 2007–2009, FC Lorient 2009/10), Mikel Arteta (Paris Saint-German 2001–2002), Olivier Giroud (Grenoble Foot 38 2005-2008, FC Istres, loan, 2007-2008, Tours FC 2008-2010, Montpellier 2010-2012) and Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre 2010-2013) have all played in France.
• Sagna, Koscielny and Giroud are France team-mates of Steve Mandanda, André-Pierre Gignac, Mathieu Valbuena, Dimitri Payet and Rod Fanni.
• Valbuena scored France's second goal in a 2-1 friendly win against England at Wembley Stadium on 17 November 2010. Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs both appeared for the home side.
• Sanogo, Mario Lemina and Florian Thauvin were all part of France's triumphant FIFA U-20 World Cup squad in Turkey this summer.
• Sagna and Benoît Cheyrou were team-mates at Auxerre.
• Alaixys Romao and Jérémy Morel played with Koscielny at Lorient.
• Jordan and André Ayew play for Ghana alongside Emmanuel Frimpong.
• Souleymane Diawara spent 2006/07 in England with Charlton Athletic FC.
Despite the matchday four loss to FC København, Galatasaray AŞ coach Roberto Mancini remains "confident" his side can negotiate a tricky section and reach the last 16.
Mancini ‘confident’ of Galatasaray success
Now in his fifth managerial role, Roberto Mancini is determined to make an impact in this season's UEFA Champions League with Galatasaray AŞ despite the narrow margins in Group B.
"Galatasaray are a very good team who have the potential to do well this season. It's never easy in the Champions League and our group is particularly tough. However, we can progress," said the 48-year-old, in spite of his side's wavering grip on second place following the 1-0 loss at FC København on matchday four.
"I'm still confident of qualifying [for the round of 16]. We need to improve as a team but I am hopeful of a good result in our next game against Real Madrid. Then we will have everything to play for [at home to Juventus on 10 December]. As they say in football, never say never," continued the former ACF Fiorentina, SS Lazio, FC Internazionale Milano and Manchester City FC boss.
As Mancini seeks to make an impression with Cimbom, the ex-Italy forward recognises the pressure that comes with a job previously held by fans' favourite Fatih Terim, who steered Galatasaray to UEFA Cup glory in 2000, six Super League titles and the last eight of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League.
"He is a legend here. I have a lot of respect for him because he is one of the best managers in Europe. You know that in this business your job is never safe. I have a great deal of respect for Fatih and the work he is doing with the Turkish national team," Mancini told UEFA.com.
Published: Wednesday 20 November 2013, 13.38CET
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels will be out until January with torn heel ligaments and full-back Marcel Schmelzer also returned from international duty injured.
Mats Hummels was injured in Germany's win at Wembley
Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp faces an injury crisis ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-Bundesliga clash with FC Bayern München after Marcel Schmelzer and Mats Hummels returned from international duty injured.
Centre-back Hummels tore ligaments in his right heel during Germany's 1-0 win against England on Tuesday and will be absent until January, while left-back Schmelzer begins a three-week lay-off after tearing muscle fibres in his left calf at Wembley. Neven Subotić was recently ruled out for at least six months after damaging cruciate ligaments in his knee, meaning three of Dortmund's regular back four are missing for Saturday night's visit of leaders Bayern.
Out-of-contract Manuel Friedrich, whom Klopp knows from their time together at 1. FSV Mainz 05, had been on trial at Dortmund with a view to covering for this kind of eventuality. However, the 34-year-old is also sidelined after injuring his left knee in a 2-1 friendly defeat by second-tier SC Paderborn 07 on Tuesday.
Second in the Bundesliga, Dortmund lie third in UEFA Champions League Group F going into their home game against SSC Napoli next week, with a trip to Olympique de Marseille to follow on matchday six.
Already shorn of the injured Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona must now plan without Víctor Valdés after the goalkeeper tore a calf muscle on national-team duty with Spain.
Víctor Valdés will be out of action for the rest of the year with a calf injury
FC Barcelona have lost Víctor Valdés for the rest of the UEFA Champions League group stage after the goalkeeper suffered a right calf muscle tear on international duty with Spain.
The 31-year-old replaced Iker Casillas in the second half of La Roja's 1-0 reverse against South Africa in Johannesburg on Tuesday, but the Barcelona No1 was later carried off in some discomfort. Returning to his club headquarters on crutches on Wednesday, Valdés underwent tests which showed a ruptured calf muscle, ruling him out for six weeks.
The news comes after Lionel Messi was sidelined for Barça's remaining Group H games away to AFC Ajax next Tuesday and at home to Celtic FC on 11 December, the forward having succumbed to a thigh tear. Gerardo Martino's side secured their place in the round of 16 following their 3-1 matchday four home win against AC Milan.
UEFA looks forward to the penultimate games with FC Bayern München seeking two more records and positive omens for FC Zenit and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Bayern have another record in their sights on matchday five
Tuesday's games
Group E (FC Steaua Bucureşti v FC Schalke 04, FC Basel 1893 v Chelsea FC)
• Steaua's lone victory against German opponents came in the second leg of the 1957/58 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round, the Romanians beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1. They had lost the away leg 4-2 and went down 3-1 in the replay on neutral ground in Bologna. It was the first of 14 games, spanning almost 56 years, against Bundesliga sides in which they have failed to win.
• Basel succumbed 2-1 at home to Chelsea in last season's UEFA Europa League semi-finals. Overall they have lost four of their ten home fixtures against English opposition, with three wins and three draws. Group F (Arsenal FC v Olympique de Marseille, Borussia Dortmund v SSC Napoli)
• Arsenal got the better of Marseille in the 2011/12 group stage, prevailing 1-0 away through Aaron Ramsey's late strike with the London return ending goalless. The Gunners therefore beat OM to first place in the section, finishing one point ahead.
• Dortmund, who are in their seventh UEFA Champions League campaign, did not overcome Italian opponents until their eighth fixture and have lost their last two home matches against Serie A visitors.
Group G (FC Porto v FK Austria Wien, FC Zenit v Club Atlético de Madrid)
• Porto have never failed to win at least one of their home games in a UEFA Champions League group stage. Even if they succeed against Austria, they are already guaranteed their lowest return from three home fixtures at this 32-team stage of the competition.
• Luciano Spalletti's Zenit are unbeaten in eight home matches in Europe, dating back to a 3-2 defeat by AC Milan in October last year, but are still seeking a first victory at the Stadion Petrovski in Group G after draws with Austria and Porto.
Group H (Celtic FC v AC Milan, AFC Ajax v FC Barcelona)
• Celtic have eight victories from their last 11 European fixtures in Glasgow. Including the qualifying rounds, they have won four of five games at Celtic Park this season, the only blip being the 1-0 reverse against Barcelona on matchday two. Overall Celtic have a superb home record in the UEFA Champions League group stage, which reads W16 D5 L2.
• Ajax are striving to end a run of nine straight defeats against Spanish clubs. In each of the past three campaigns they lost home and away to Real Madrid CF in the group stage – suffering a trio of heavy home reverses (1-4 in 2012/13, 0-3 in 2011/12 and 0-4 in 2010/11).
Wednesday's games
Group A (Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Manchester United FC, FC Shakhtar Donetsk v Real Sociedad de Fútbol)
• Leverkusen have posted eight consecutive home wins in the UEFA Champions League group stage, including their 2011/12 and 2004/05 campaigns. They came from behind to beat their last English visitors, Chelsea, 2-1 in the 2011/12 group stage.
• Shakhtar are pursuing their first home success in five matches in the UEFA Champions League – they have gone four games without a victory at the Donbass Arena.
Group B (Real Madrid CF v Galatasaray AŞ, Juventus v FC København)
• Cristiano Ronaldo, who struck a hat-trick against Galatasaray on matchday one, has scored in all four group outings and has eight goals for the season, equalling the record for a UEFA Champions League group phase.
• In three visits to Italy, København have lost each time, conceding six goals and scoring just one. Their only Italian scalp in seven attempts, home and away, came in the Danish capital against SS Lazio – FCK winning the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg 2-1. They went down 4-1 in the return.
Group C (RSC Anderlecht v SL Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain v Olympiacos FC)
• Anderlecht have a solid home record against Portuguese visitors. Apart from their statistics against Benfica – they have shipped one goal in four fixtures – their five other home games have yielded four wins and a draw, with no goals against.
• Paris are unbeaten in all eight matches against opponents from Greece, winning seven and drawing one, and Vladimír Weiss's matchday one strike was the first time their defences had been breached. Olympiacos, however, have won their last two games in France.
Group D (PFC CSKA Moskva v FC Bayern München, Manchester City FC v FC Viktoria Plzeň)
• Bayern can establish a UEFA Champions League record of ten straight victories by beating CSKA, having equalled FC Barcelona's 2002/03 feat of nine in a row when defeating Plzeň last time out. Josep Guardiola's reigning champions will also match a club record for successive away wins in Europe if they prevail having won five on the bounce on their travels – one short of the record set by their 1995/96 UEFA Cup-winning team.
• Plzeň have never visited England while City have lost just one of their last 22 UEFA competition fixtures in Manchester. The 5-2 matchday four triumph over CSKA was the first time they have scored five goals in a European Cup game. Plzeň are on a four-match losing streak in Group D, the worst sequence in their European history.
FC Schalke 04 will be without Dennis Aogo for their decisive Group E game with FC Basel 1893 and the remainder of the season after the defender tore knee ligaments in training.
Dennis Aogo's appearance against Steaua will be his last of the season
FC Schalke 04 have suffered another injury setback with the news that defender Dennis Aogo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The German international, who has missed just 12 minutes of UEFA Champions League action this term, suffered tears in his cruciate and medial ligaments in a training session ahead of their Bundesliga game against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
It is the latest blow for coach Jens Keller, who was without the services of Marco Höger, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the goalless draw at FC Steaua Bucureşti on Tuesday, while Chinedu Obasi made his first appearance since March in that match. Jefferson Farfán (groin) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (knee) have also been forced to sit out games in recent weeks due to nagging injuries.
Schalke must win their final Group E contest at home to FC Basel 1893 on matchday six to qualify for the knockout stages.
Published: Friday 29 November 2013, 17.40CET
Manchester United FC, Real Madrid CF, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC joined the qualifiers on matchday five, but who else can go through? UEFA has all the figures.
Galatasaray must beat Juventus to pip them to the last 16
While holders FC Bayern München, Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Chelsea FC, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid CF, Club Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona are through to the UEFA Champions League round of 16, eight other places are up for grabs when the groups end on 10 and 11 December, with 15 clubs chasing those slots. UEFA looks at all the permutations, including for group supremacy or UEFA Europa League round of 32 berths.
Tuesday 10 December
Group A
Manchester United FC (11pts) v FC Shakhtar Donetsk (8)
Real Sociedad de Fútbol (1) v Bayer 04 Leverkusen (7)
• United are through and will clinch first place with a draw.
• Shakhtar will advance as group winners with a victory. If they draw, they will go through if Leverkusen do not win. If Shakhtar lose, they will only progress if Leverkusen are also defeated.
• Leverkusen will be through with a victory if Shakhtar do not win. A draw will be enough for Leverkusen if Shakhtar lose thanks to their superior head-to-head.
• La Real will finish fourth.
Group B
FC København (4) v Real Madrid CF (13)
Galatasaray AŞ (4) v Juventus (6)
• Madrid are qualified as group winners.
• Juve will be through with a draw courtesy of their head-to-head superiority over FCK.
• Galatasaray will be through with a win due to their head-to-head superiority over FCK.
• FCK cannot finish in the top two because of their head-to-head inferiority to Juve and Galatasaray. FCK will come third if they win or if they draw and Galatasaray lose.
Group C
SL Benfica (7) v Paris Saint-Germain (13)
Olympiacos FC (7) v RSC Anderlecht (1)
• Paris are through as group winners as their head-to-head is superior to Olympiacos.
• Olympiacos have head-to-head superiority over Benfica so will definitely progress with a victory or if Benfica lose.
• To finish second, Benfica must pick up more points than Olympiacos.
• Anderlecht will finish fourth.
Group D
FC Bayern München (15) v Manchester City FC (12)
FC Viktoria Plzeň (0) v PFC CSKA Moskva (3)
• Bayern are through and will win the group with a draw or with a defeat that is no bigger than their 3-1 away victory in Manchester.
• City are through and will top the table if they win by more than the 3-1 margin by which they lost at home to Bayern.
• CSKA will come third with a draw or with a defeat that is not greater than their 3-2 home success against Viktoria.
• Viktoria will finish third with a winning margin larger than their 3-2 loss at CSKA.
Wednesday 11 December
Group E
FC Schalke 04 (7pts) v FC Basel 1893 (8)
Chelsea FC (9) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (3)
• Chelsea have qualified, yet still need to beat Steaua to guarantee pole position.
• Basel will be top if they collect more points than Chelsea; Schalke will come first if they win and Chelsea lose.
• Schalke must overcome Basel to at least pip the Swiss side to second place.
• Steaua will finish fourth.
Group F
SSC Napoli (9) v Arsenal FC (12)
Olympique de Marseille (0) v Borussia Dortmund (9)
• Arsenal will clinch qualification, and top spot, with a draw or a victory.
• If Dortmund fail to win, Napoli will advance with a victory – in the event of a three-way head-to-head on 12 points, the two qualifiers will be decided by the precise scorelines between the three teams.
• A draw is only enough for Napoli if Dortmund, who have a superior head-to-head, lose. If Napoli lose they are out.
• Dortmund are through if they win. Should Dortmund draw, they will progress if Napoli do not win. Dortmund can only afford to lose if Napoli are also beaten.
• Marseille will be fourth.
Group G
FK Austria Wien (2) v FC Zenit (6)
Club Atlético de Madrid (13) v FC Porto (5)
• Atlético have won the group.
• Zenit will qualify if they win – or if Porto do not gain victory due to the Russian side's head-to-head superiority.
• Porto must win and hope Zenit do not.
• Austria will finish fourth.
Group H
AC Milan (8) v AFC Ajax (7)
FC Barcelona (10) v Celtic FC (3)
• Barcelona are through but require a draw to ensure first place as Milan could still overtake them with a victory.
• Milan need a draw to hold off Ajax, who cannot finish above second.
• Celtic are destined for fourth.
Although all reasonable care has been taken so that the information is accurate, no representation or guarantee is made as to its reliability or completeness.
UEFA.com looks at the statistics before the final group games, including positive omens for Galatasaray AŞ, Arsenal FC and AFC Ajax and a potential record.
Ajax won in Milan in Frank de Boer's first game in charge Tuesday's matches
Group A: Manchester United FC v FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Sociedad de Fútbol v Bayer 04 Leverkusen
• Having beaten both Leverkusen and La Real at Old Trafford, United are seeking a hat-trick of home wins in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2007/08.
• Leverkusen are visiting Spain for the first time since losing 7-1 at FC Barcelona in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16. It was their heaviest European defeat and completed a 10-2 aggregate reverse for Robin Dutt's side.
Group B: Galatasaray AŞ v Juventus, Real Madrid CF v FC København
• Galatasaray are unbeaten in their last nine home games against Italian visitors, winning six and drawing three.
• Madrid have scored 18 goals in their first five games; Manchester United (1998/99) and Barcelona (2011/12) hold the record for goals scored in a UEFA Champions League group stage with 20.
Group C: SL Benfica v Paris Saint-Germain, Olympiacos FC v RSC Anderlecht
• Benfica have won both their previous home games against Paris, 2-1 in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 16 and 3-1 in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16.
• Olympiacos and Anderlecht played a friendly in Piraeus on 7 August, the home side winning 1-0 thank to a Dimitris Siovas goal.
Group D: FC Bayern München v Manchester City FC, FC Viktoria Plzeň v PFC CSKA Moskva
• Bayern have won 14 of their last 16 home UEFA Champions League fixtures in Munich, most recently a 5-0 success against Plzeň on matchday three.
• Plzeň are looking to prolong their European campaign into the new year for the third season running. Pavel Vrba's men have lost both home games so far in Group D without scoring a goal but had won ten of their preceding 11 home fixtures in UEFA competition, including three in a row in this season's qualifying rounds. Before defeats at Bayern (0-3) and City (2-5), CSKA were on a run of just two losses in 11 away outings in UEFA competition.
Wednesday's matches
Group E: Chelsea FC v FC Steaua Bucureşti, FC Schalke 04 v FC Basel 1893
• Steaua have not won for 22 games in the UEFA Champions League proper, since a 4-1 success at FC Dynamo Kyiv on 13 September 2006. Steaua's failure to beat Schalke on matchday five equalled the longest UEFA Champions League run without a victory, set by FC Spartak Moskva between 5 December 2000 and 22 November 2006.
• The last time Basel travelled to face German opposition they suffered a 7-0 reverse against Bayern in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg. It was their biggest defeat in UEFA competition, belying a 1-0 home success.
Group F: SSC Napoli v Arsenal FC, Olympique de Marseille v Borussia Dortmund
• In four of Arsenal's last seven visits to Italy they have come out on top, with only two defeats in that time. In 28 games against Italian clubs their record is W14 D8 L6 (W5 D4 L5 away).
• Dortmund and Marseille met on matchday six in the 2011/12 competition, the French team coming from two goals down to win 3-2 in Germany and reach the round of 16 at their opponents' expense.
Group G: FC Porto v Club Atlético de Madrid, FK Austria Wien v FC Zenit
• It was on Spanish soil that Porto's UEFA Champions League hopes evaporated last term with a 2-0 defeat at Málaga CF in the round of 16 that confirmed a 2-1 aggregate loss.
• Austria have suffered three losses in a row at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in European competition – against GNK Dinamo Zagreb in the play-offs as well as Porto and Atlético in Group G. A fourth defeat against Zenit would extend what is already a club record run. Zenit have won three of their four away matches so far in this term's competition.
Group H: AC Milan v AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona v Celtic FC
• Ajax coach Frank de Boer oversaw a victory at San Siro in his first match at the helm of the Amsterdam club in December 2010, at the end of another UEFA Champions League group stage campaign.
• Celtic are hoping to avoid a fourth successive European away defeat this term after losses at FC Shakhter Karagandy in the play-offs and Milan and Ajax in Group H. They failed to score in all three of those games.
