Memories of a titanic UEFA Champions League knockout tussle will be stirred by Schalke’s home game against Porto in the opening round of Group D fixtures.
• It took penalties to separate the sides the last time they met, in the 2007/08 round of 16. Both have plenty of recent experience of reaching that stage, and will be eager to make early inroads in a section that also includes Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moskva.
Previous meetings
• It was Schalke who came out on top in the penalty shoot-out 11 seasons ago, after Kevin Kuranyi’s fourth-minute first-leg goal in Gelsenkirchen had been cancelled out by Lisandro López with only four minutes to play in Porto. The German side held their nerve in the shoot-out, however, converting all of their kicks to win 4-1.
• The German club had also had the better of the sides’ other tie, in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup first round, even after letting slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 in the away first leg. Schalke progressed with a 3-2 home victory, scoring twice in the last four minutes to secure the win.
Form guide
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.
• Semi-finalists in 2011, Schalke’s last three UEFA Champions League campaigns have all ended in the round of 16.
• Schalke have lost their last two home matches in the competition, and won only one of their last five UEFA Champions League games in Gelsenkirchen (D1 L3).
• Schalke are, however, unbeaten in six home European fixtures (W4 D2).
• 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.
• Schalke have won all five previous fixtures against Portuguese visitors, including UEFA Champions League group stage wins against Benfica in 2010/11 and Sporting CP in their last appearance in 2014/15.
Porto
• This trip will hold happy memories for Porto; Gelsenkirchen, and the Arena AufSchalke, was the venue for their second European Cup triumph, José Mourinho’s side beating Monaco 3-0 there in the 2004 final.
• Porto are in the UEFA Champions League for the 23rd season – the joint highest total ever alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona.
• Porto have reached the round of 16 in the last two years, and have qualified from the group three times in the last four seasons. In 2017/18 they lost 5-0 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Liverpool in the last 16 having been beaten at home by the same scoreline in the first leg.
• The Portuguese side were also paired with German opponents in last season’s group stage, beating RB Leipzig 3-1 at home having lost 3-2 away. The latter defeat was their third in a row away to Bundesliga clubs.
• Porto have won only one of their last six away European games (D3 L2), a 3-0 victory at Monaco in last season’s group stage. They have drawn the last two away.
Links and trivia
• Porto coach Sérgio Conceição was in charge of Nantes for the second half of 2016/17, Amine Harit making 18 appearances during his reign and scoring once. Current Porto midfielder Sérgio Oliveira was at Nantes for the second half of the campaign.
• Breel Embolo was in the Basel side that drew 1-1 at home and lost 4-0 away against Porto in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League round of 16. Óliver Torres, Héctor Herrera, Yacine Brahimi and Vincent Aboubakar also featured for Porto.
• Herrera was in the Mexico team that beat Germany 1-0 in this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Schalke’s Sebastian Rudy was an unused substitute in that match, but had started Germany’s 4-1 win over Herrera’s Mexico in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final.
• International team-mates:
Nabil Bentaleb & Yacine Brahimi (Algeria)
• Has played in Germany:
Riechedly Bazoer (Wolfsburg, 2017–18)
• Have played together:
Riechedly Bazoer & Daniel Caligiuri (Wolfsburg 2017)
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