UEFA Champions League Match Preview:Schalke 04 vs Sporting Lisbon

The new Schalke Roberto Di Matteo is measured at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, a key European aspirations of both teams, who still do not know the victory in the group stage match.

The recent arrival of the German bench Di Matteo seeks to improve the performance of a team that seemed depressed in these early stages of competition, while Lisbon's come to the meeting with high morale after removal of the Portuguese Cup with Porto.

The home side expects to move past the turbulent weeks that resulted in the withering dismissal of former coach Jens Keller.

Besides the three points, the fact that he managed to keep itself clean sheet after defensive problems experienced in this early season is something that has been recognized to Di Matteo, who is expected that a new impetus to the team .

Some players seem to have come from a drop in performance by running through. The clearest example is Draxler, who scored a goal and became the center for another on Saturday after having had a difficult start to the season, partly because of the high expectations placed on it.

In the Champions League after two draws in two games, Schalke remains in debt. First, the disappointing 1-1 at home to Maribor was one of the precipitating factors that contributed to the cessation of Keller.

Now, after the draw, the win against Sporting has become an obligation towards the goal of getting into the second round.

Lisbonites, meanwhile, want to give back to the good image left in the game against Chelsea despite their narrow defeat (0-1).

Marco Silva Trained by men hoping to use the push I gave them victory away against Porto in Portugal Cup (1-3) this past weekend

After a bumpy start, the Betis seems to have found the key to retrieve his game, with defensive stability as the only deficit still improve.

The emergence of the young Joao Mario in midfield, the good form by passing Nani -indiscutible star of the team, it brings balance and safety William Carvalho in goal Rui Patrício consistency endow a Sporting dreams of moving to the next phase.

For now Sporting only takes one point garnered during his visit to Slovenia, so take something positive from his trip to German soil seems an essential requirement to keep hope alive.