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Story so far: FC Schalke 04

After a poor run, FC Schalke 04 replaced coach Jens Keller with Roberto Di Matteo – who ultimately secured progress to the round of 16 as Group G runners-up.

Inconsistency has plagued FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League this term. An encouraging opening 1-1 draw at Chelsea FC raised hopes, but the same outcome against NK Maribor in Germany two weeks later was followed by an erratic series of results. The disappointing run left Group G matters out of the Royal Blues' hands as they ultimately secured their place in the last 16 on the final matchday in Slovenia. 

Story so far
With Schalke having failed to record a victory in their first four Bundesliga outings, and succumbed to lower-league opposition in the German Cup, the 1-1 draw at Chelsea on matchday one offered plenty of cause for optimism. However, the subsequent draw against Maribor, appearing in the group stage for the first time in 15 years, contributed to coach Jens Keller's dismissal and subsequent replacement by Roberto Di Matteo.

Under the stewardship of the Italian tactician for the first time in Europe, Schalke claimed a last-gasp 4-3 success against Sporting Clube de Portugal. The Lisbon outfit recovered to win the reverse fixture and a 5-0 home hammering by José Mourinho's men left the Gelsenkirchen side not only needing a victory against Maribor on matchday six to progress but also for Chelsea to beat Sporting. The Premier League team did their part, while a second-half strike from Max Meyer ensured Schalke's passage.

Schalke delight at last-16 spot

Pivotal moment
Having come from behind to lead 3-1 against Sporting on matchday three, Schalke found themselves level with 12 minutes remaining after a double from Adrien Silva. However, Schalke were awarded a penalty in the third minute of added time and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting stepped up to seal a dramatic late win. Di Matteo's European reign was off to a successful start and, more importantly, those three points kept his squad in contention as two consecutive defeats followed.

Key player: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
The Dutch international's years are advancing, but his goalscoring exploits continue. Three goals in the group stage showed he still possesses the killer instinct at the highest level and without his strikes there can be little doubt that the Miners would not have made the last 16.

Rising star: Max Meyer
The diminutive attacking midfielder seems to have been around a while now, but Meyer – still only 19 – has already gained a wealth of UEFA Champions League experience over the past two seasons. Though he failed score or provide an assist in the first five games of this season’s competition, he came up trumps in the decisive final fixture against Maribor.

Number: 23
The Bundesliga club's six group matches yielded 23 goals – an average of 3.8 per fixture. The problem for Schalke is that the majority went in at the wrong end. The Royal Blues conceded an average of 2.3 per game, the worst such record of any side heading into the last 16.

Max Meyer celebrates his goal
Max Meyer celebrates his goal©Getty Images

Quote:
"We've qualified for the round of 16 for the third year running, which proves we're among the best teams in Europe. Still, I'd rather have a more doable opponent in the next round. We're not exactly going to go into a game against Barcelona or Real Madrid as favourites."
Max Meyer keeps expectations low after scoring the goal that took Schalke into the knockout stage

Next challenge: Real Madrid CF
(Home: 18 February, away: 10 March)
Madrid overwhelmed Schalke in last season's round of 16, winning 6-1 in Gelsenkirchen and 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Cristiano Ronaldo scored four of those goals, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema contributing two each.