Schalke 04 host Steaua Bucuresti in Group J knowing victory will take them through to the round of 32, while the visitors will have to overcome an unenviable record in Germany.
Ralf Rangnick’s Schalke had the best of proceedings in the sides matchday one meeting in Cluj-Napoca but could not find a way through Roni Levy’s determined Steaua rearguard. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar came closest to engineering a decisive goal, hitting the crossbar in the second half.
Schalke met Steaua’s neighbours Sportul Studentesc Bucuresti in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup second round; they won 1-0 away and 4-0 at home in what was their only previous tie against a Romanian side.
Steaua‘s record in 13 games against German opponents is a somewhat dispiriting W1 D5 L7 (W0 D2 L4 in Germany). Steaua have not scored in their last four games against German sides.
That lone victory against a German side was a 3-1 win against Borussia Dortmund in Bucharest in the second leg of a European Champion Clubs’ Cup first round tie on 8 December 1957, having lost the first leg 4-2. With the away goals rule yet to be introduced, the tie was settled by a replay, which Dortmund won 3-1 in Bologna.
Schalke‘s home record in their last 13 European home games reads W9 D2 L2; both those defeats came against sides from Manchester. They lost 2-0 to Manchester United FC in last season’s UEFA Champions League semi-finals and by the same margin to Manchester City FC in the 2008/09 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Steaua have not won in ten UEFA away games (five draws and five defeats) since a 2-1 UEFA Europa League play-off win at Saint Patrick’s Athletic FC on 27 August 2009.