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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.

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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.