Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Roberto Di Matteo: Schalke UCL exit wouldn't be a disaster

Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo believes missing out on the knockout phase of the Champions League "would not be the end of the world" for the club ahead of their crucial Group G clash with Maribor.

Schalke are currently ranked third in the group, and must win in Slovenia and hope Sporting are defeated at Chelsea in order to progress.

The Royal Blues have taken one point from Chelsea and Maribor, and three from Sporting Lisbon, who are two points ahead of the German club and to whom they trail in their head-to-head.

A draw will see Schalke relegated to Europa League, and a defeat would mean elimination from all European competition, while opening the door for the Slovenian champions.

"There's a lot at stake for both clubs", Di Matteo told his pre-match news conference. "It's an incredibly important game. It's also a difficult game, because no one in the group has won in Maribor yet."

Maribor, playing in the Champions League for only the second time after a brief appearance in the 1999-2000 season, are yet to win a match but claimed a draw in Gelsenkirchen and held both Sporting and Chelsea to a draw at home in this campaign.

"Failing to reach the knockout stages would not be the end of the world," Di Matteo added in kicker. "But reaching the last 16 would be a step forward for everyone involved in our process."

Di Matteo was installed at the Veltins-Arena after the Maribor match and despite several setbacks -- such as the 5-0 humiliation by Chelsea a fortnight ago -- he has brought a degree of stability to the club.

Schalke are currently joint-fourth with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga table, and last weekend picked up only their second away victory of the season -- an impressive 4-0 at Stuttgart.

"I have a good feeling because we've shown some great performances in recent games," Di Matteo said, but added that he expects "a tight game, where small details will be decisive."

He added: "We have to be well-organised at the back. If we deliver a team performance then we hope that we'll be able to win the game."

Schalke will be without midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has been struggling with injuries throughout the season, but have attackers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Eric-Maxim Choupo Mouting available with the in-form duo scoring eight goals between them in the last three Bundesliga games.

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