Arena Aufschalke Stadium, Gelsenkirchen 21/10/2004 20:30:00 (Local Time) UEFA Cup Group A, Matchday 1 FC Schalke 04 v FC Basel 1893 MATCH OFFICIALS Referee Johan Verbist (BEL) Assistant Referee Danny Huens (BEL) Assistant Referee Claude Gregoire (BEL) Fourth Referee Eddie Vermeirsch (BEL) UEFA Delegate Thomas Partl (AUT) Referee Observer Christer Fällström (SWE) Reporter Mark Bennett (GER) MATCH BACKGROUND FC Schalke 04 have proved the value of entering the UEFA Intertoto Cup competition by reaching the UEFA Cup group stage. The German club were one of the three qualifiers from that competition after finishing seventh in last season’s Bundesliga. Comfortable qualification The success gave them a place in the UEFA Cup first round proper where a first leg hat trick from Ebbe Sand, and another hat trick in the return leg from Mike Hanke, gave Schalke a dominating 9-1 aggregate win over Latvian club FHK Liepajas Metalurgs and a place in the group stage draw. Limited experience This will be the first time that Schalke, the 1996/97 UEFA Cup winners and the last club to win the competition under the old two-legged final format, have met Swiss opposition in UEFA club competitions. FC Basel 1893 have had one previous encounter with a German club, and suffered a 7-3 aggregate defeat in the first round of the 1978/79 UEFA Cup. FC Basel 1893 have also played in another competition to reach this stage. Terek overcome The Swiss champions were beaten 5-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League by FC Internazionale Milano, but moved into the UEFA Cup, and came successfully through the first round with a win against the Russian Cup holders FC Terek Grozny. The first leg was staged at Moscow and ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Swiss club came through the return leg with a 2-0 win. Basel hopeful FC Basel 1893 will look to their form of a couple of seasons ago to make progress. In 2002/03 they became the first Swiss club to qualify from the opening group stage of the UEFA Champions League before being narrowly eliminated in the second group stage despite finishing level on points with Juventus FC and RC Deportivo La Coruña. DOMESTIC FORMGUIDE FC Schalke 04 18/10: FC Schalke 04 achieved the result of the weekend in Germany by winning 1-0 at FC Bayern München. Gerald Asamoah got the only goal to lift Schalke to sixth place and send the UEFA Intertoto Cup winners into their opening game against FC Basel 1893 in confident mood. Defender Fabian Lamotte is out with an ankle problem, but is Schalke's only injury concern. 07/10: The 1996/97 UEFA Cup winners have taken a circuitous route to this stage, qualifying via the UEFA Intertoto Cup for the second year running before overcoming Latvia's FHK Liepajas Metalurgs in the first round. Domestically, though, they have struggled and when they sat in the relegation zone six games in, coach Jupp Heynckes was replaced by Ralf Rangnick. Schalke's strong squad was reinforced in the summer, with prolific striker Ailton and Mladen Krstajic both joining from Werder Bremen. Marcelo Bordon is another reinforcement, from VfB Stuttgart, but although Schalke have climbed the Bundesliga table under Rangnick, they are not yet realising their potential. With Frank Rost, capped four times by Germany between 2002 and 2003, Schalke have a solid goalkeeper in their ranks. Bordon and Krstajic are the central defenders while the midfield comprises Danish international Christian Poulsen, Georgia's Levan Kobiashvili and Turkish prodigy Hamit Altintop. Up front Ailton, Germany striker Gerald Asamoah and Dane Ebbe Sand provide world-class options, and if Schalke hit form, they will progress far beyond the group stage. FC Basel 1893 18/10: Basel also won, coming from behind to beat Servette FC 2-1 at home to establish a three-point lead in the Swiss Football League. Christian Giménez drew the champions level with his ninth goal of the campaign before Mladen Petric scored the second-half winner - his fourth in five matches. Basel were without injured defender Murat Yakin, who will be absent in Gelsenkirchen. 07/10: It was always going to be a tall order for Basel to match their domestic dominance of last season, but they still lead the Swiss Super League. Basel are top on goal difference from FC Thun, although three weeks ago the previously unbeaten champions were two points adrift after a 4-1 defeat by the second-placed side. A 1-0 loss at FC Aarau followed for Basel, but Thun were beaten by Servette FC and last week the title-holders won 2-1 at Neuchâtel Xamax FC while Aarau held Thun. Meanwhile, Basel dreams of returning to the UEFA Champions League group stage, where they starred two years ago, were dashed in the third qualifying round by FC Internazionale Milano. But Russian second-flight side FC Terek Grozny fell 3-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Cup first round, and while Hakan Yakin and Timothée Atouba have departed the club since their 2002/03 European heroics, the emergence of the Degen twins - David and Philipp - and the arrival of Croatian striker Mladen Petric have given coach Christian Gross new options. PLAYERS PROFILES FC Schalke 04 GOALKEEPERS No Name Nat. DoB Profile 1 Frank Rost GER 30.06.73 3rd season at FC Schalke 04 after 10 years at Werder Bremen…4 caps…Bundesliga debut in 1995 and over 200 games, missed one Bundesliga game in 4 seasons before injury last season....6-4 tall. 13 Christian Heimeroth GER 01.08.81 Just 3 Bundesliga games to date…former BV Borussia Dortmund youth player in 1996/97, joined FC Schalke 04 in 1999. 29 Volkan Ünlü TUR 08.07.83 Four Bundesliga games last season, vies with Heimeroth as No 2 to Rost..at club since 1998. DEFENDERS No Name Nat. DoB Profile 5 Marcelo Bordon BRA 07.01.76 Outstanding in Bundesliga since joining VfB Stuttgart in 1999, moved to FC Schalke 04 in 2004…capped by Brazil in Hungary in April 2004 (sub)…played for Botafogo and FC São Paulo in Brazil. 15 Tomasz Waldoch POL 10.05.71 74 caps for Poland…has been with the club since 1999, was previously at VfL Bochum for 5 years…over 230 Bundesliga games…senior debut with Górnik Zabrze in 1990. 16 Darío Rodríguez URU 17.09.74 Joined Schalke from Peñarol after 2002 FIFA World Cup…around 40 Bundesliga games…29 caps…Uruguay team for October FIFA World Cup qualifiers v Argentina and Bolivia. 20 Mladen Krstajic SCG 04.03.74 Played against Bosnia and San Marino in October FIFA World Cup qualifiers, has 34 caps…joined in summer 2004 from Werder Bremen’s double winning team…4 years at Bremen. 24 Christian Pander GER 28.08.83 Current U21 international..burst onto scene this season for Bundesliga debut…4th season at club, signed from Preussen Munster. MIDFIELDERS No Name Nat. DoB Profile 2 Christian Poulsen DEN 28.02.80 2 games at UEFA EURO 2004™, played v Albania and Turkey in October World Cup games…25 caps…arrived in Jan 2002 but only around 50 Bundesliga games…playing in defence for Denmark. 3 Levan Kobiaschvili GEO 10.07.77 Joined in 2003 from SC Freiburg on a free transfer…6 years in Bundesliga football…played against Ukraine in October FIFA World Cup qualifier…49 caps 6 Hamit Altintop TUR 08.12.85 Scored twice on debut against BV Borussia Dortmund last season….signed from SV Wattensheid in 2003…played for Turkey at U18 and U21 level, won 6th full cap v Kazakhstan in FIFA World Cup qualifier. 8 Jörg Böhme GER 02.01.74 Is being pressured for his place by Pander…joined from DSC Arminia Bielefeld in 2000….left sided player…10 caps to 2003. 10 Lincoln BRA 22.01.79 Brazilian, who signed from 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 2004 on a free…3 seasons at Kaiserslautern…played for Atlético Mineiro from 1991-2001…playmaker in team. 17 Sven Vermant BEL 04.04.73 Signed in 2001 from Club Brugge KV to replace Andreas Möller…key player after slow start…16 caps…debut in Belgium for KV Mechelen in 1992. 18 Niels Oude-Kamphuis NED 14.11.77 One cap for Holland…Cup wins with FC Schalke 04 in 2001 and 2002…joined from FC Twente in 1999..can play midfield or right back. 19 Gustavo Varela URU 14.05.78 Injury prone…joined after 2002 FIFA World Cup from Nacional Montevideo…played World Cup qualifier v Bolivia on 13.10.04…13 caps. FORWARDS No Name Nat. DoB Profile 7 Michael Delura GER 01.07.85 At club since 1999…has come through the club’s youth academy…mostly used on right wing…youth international. 9 Ailton BRA 19.07.73 Bundesliga top scorer last season with Werder Bremen with 28 goals…won double with Bremen in 2004, also won Cup in 1999…still uncapped. 11 Ebbe Sand DEN 19.07.72 Arrived in 1999 from Brøndby IF…equal top scorer in 2001/01 Bundesliga with 22 goals…Cup wins in 2001 and 2002…66 caps. 14 Gerald Asamoah GER 03.10.78 Scored winner at FC Bayern München last weekend…21st cap in 2-0 win in Iran on 09.10.04 (sub)…joined from Hannover 96 in 2000…recalled to national team since Aug 2004. 26 Mike Hanke GER 05.11.83 Current Under-21 international striker…came to FC Schalke 04 from the youth team of VfL Bochum in 2000.