Match facts: Steaua v Schalke

Steaua

UEFA milestones and competition statistics
• Of Steaua's UEFA Champions League squad, only Pantelis Kapetanos (with CFR 1907 Cluj) and Ionuţ Neagu (FC Oţelul Galaţi) had played in the group stage before this season.

• Alexandru Bourceanu and Łukasz Szukała are both a booking away from a suspension.

General information
• Steaua are undefeated in the league this season, winning nine and drawing three of their opening 12 fixtures.

• Steaua's fixture against FC Universitatea Cluj on 10 November was postponed to allow players more time to prepare for Romania's FIFA World Cup play-off against Greece.

• Lucian Filip suffered a broken leg in training on 19 November and will miss the rest of the group stage. Mihai Pintilii suffered a muscle strain on matchday four and has not featured since.

• Federico Piovaccari has scored in nine of his last 13 appearances for Steaua in all competitions.

• Steaua are through to the Romanian Cup quarter-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2010/11.

International duty
• Six Steaua players were on senior duty during the international break: Ciprian Tătărușanu, Bourceanu, Cristian Tănase, Florin Gardoș, Iasmin Latovlevici (Romania), Szukała (Poland).

• All five Steaua representatives were involved at some point as Romania lost 4-2 on aggregate against Greece in their World Cup play-off. Tătărușanu missed the first leg with a back problem while Bourceanu picked up a booking in Athens that meant he was suspended for the return.

Schalke

UEFA milestones and competition statistics
• The 3-0 loss to Chelsea FC on matchday three was Schalke's worst at home in the UEFA Champions League and equalled their biggest defeat home and away set when they went down 4-1 at Manchester United FC in 2011.

• Schalke's haul of six points from their first two games represented their best start to a group stage in this, their sixth campaign.

• Marco Höger and Jermaine Jones are both a booking away from a suspension.

General information
• Benedikt Höwedes struck four minutes from time – his first Bundesliga goal since August 2011 – as Schalke earned a 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt. They had led 2-0 before conceding three in 12 second-half minutes.

• Schalke have won six of their last nine matches away from home, losing once.

• Jefferson Farfán, out since suffering a groin injury against Basel on matchday two, marked his return with a goal as Schalke won 3-1 against SV Werder Bremen on 9 November.

• Max Meyer, aged 18 years and 38 days, became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score in three successive games on 26 October. He set up a goal for Kevin-Prince Boateng inside 157 seconds of his first start for the club on 28 September, a 3-3 draw at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, and scored his first competitive goal in September's German Cup win at third-tier SV Darmstadt 98. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 5 October in a 4-1 win against FC Augsburg.

• Höger has been out since suffering ligament damage on 19 October. Chinedu Obasi (tibia, out since April) and Kyriakos Papadopoulos (knee, November) have not played this term but have returned to training. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will be out until the new year with a knee injury initially sustained in August.

International duty
• Eight Schalke players were called up for senior duty during the international break: Höwedes, Julian Draxler (Germany), Christian Fuchs (Austria), Sead Kolasinac (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Jones (United States), Atsuto Uchida (Japan), Boateng (Ghana), Joel Matip (Cameroon).

• Boateng scored as Ghana completed a 7-3 aggregate victory over Egypt to book a FIFA World Cup spot.

• Kolasinac won his first senior cap as Bosnia and Herzegovina lost 2-0 to Argentina in St Louis.