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21:40. Well it was certainly exciting, but that's all from me for now. Until next time on VAVEL UK, I've been Cian Woulfe and you've been great. Thank-you and good-night.

21:36. A disappointing result for Chelsea in the end, but a huge result for Schalke and more importantly, Jens Keller. Jose Mourinho won't be too happy with the defensive performance, because Chelsea were more than adequate going forward.

FULL-TIME. CHELSEA 1-1 SCHALKE

THREE MINUTES ADDED TIME

90'. Chance! Gary Cahill attacks a header from a corner and it's cleared off the line by Fuchs.

88'. Chelsea getting a bit desperate now. Understandably, of course.

87'. Hoger is booked for time-wasting in a throw-in.

85'. Chance! What a huge chance for Eden Hazard! So, desperately unlucky. Cesc Fabregas puts a cracking ball into Eden Hazard who pokes it towards the bottom corner and Fahrmann makes a stunning save. Meanwhile, Julian Draxler surprisingly makes way for Chinedu Obasi.

83'. Remy gets a great cross in, but there is absolutely no-one in there for Chelsea. Seconds later, a ball falls out of the air for an unmarked Eden Hazard, who volleys over from close range. Disappointing miss.

80'. Draxler sends a wonderful cross in, but Gary Cahill just gets his head on it.

78'. Chelsea coming closer and closer you feel. Schalke absolutely defending for their lives here.

77'. Chance! A long costless-kick comes in from Cesc Fabregas and Fahrmann originally appears to catch it, but then fumbles the ball straight to Loic Remy, whose shot is somehow cleared off the line from close range! What a massive chance for Chelsea!

75'. Chelsea going all out now with two strikers on the pitch.

73'. Strange tactic by by Jose here as he prepares both Loic Remy and Diego Costa to come on, in exchange for Didier Drogba and Willian. Max Meyer makes way for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for Schalke.

71'. Chelsea's defence fail to close down Julian Draxler on the edge of the box and he hits a fierce shot, but Courtois has it covered. Willian then brings down Boateng on the egde of the box, giving Schalke a costless-kick in a dangerous position.

69'. Some scary times for Chelsea at the moment, Julian Draxler causing all sorts of problems for the home defence.

67'. Chance! Didier Drogba again. Willian sells the left-back, and pulls it back to Drogba, but the Ivorian skies it. Meanwhile, Ramires makes way for Oscar.

66'. Oscar is warming up for Chelsea, as they look to try and regain control the game.

63'. It was coming. Cesc Fabregas, usually so reliable on the ball, loses it in his own half, before the ball is played to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutchman cuts inside and unleashes a great shot into the bottom corner, wrong-footing Thibaut Courtois. Game on!

62'. GOAL! CHELSEA 1-1 SCHALKE (HUNTELAAR)

60'. Chance! What a chance for Didier Drogba! Eden Hazard plays a beautiful long ball forward and he holds the ball up really well and plays a fizzing shot across goal which misses the far post by literally inches.

58'. John Terry fouls Draxler and the whistle blows, but Terry carries on and scores. The referee then gives him a booking for his troubles.

53'. Chance! Fabregas plays the ball to Didier Drogba in a wonderful counter-attack and the Ivorian plays the ball to Hazard. The winger cuts it on onto his right foot and curls the ball just over the bar.

52'. Ivanovic puts in a decent cross towards Drogba, but it's cleared a throw-in. Just. Meanwhile, the crowd are on their feet as Diego Costa is warming up. The Spaniard shows his appreciation with a shy wave.

51'. Schalke have just been wasteful with their possession, just giving the ball away far too easily.

48'. Willian gets down the right and beats his marker before firing a dangerous ball across the box, but Didier Drogba just can't get a touch on it. Chance.

47'. Schalke will be looking to continue their momentum that was growing towards the end of the first-half.

45'. And we're off again. Chelsea 1-0 Schalke.

SECOND-HALF BEGINS

20:35. Not a bad first-half from Chelsea's point of view. They are lacking a bit of firepower going forward though; despite Didier Drogba starting brightly, he went a bit rusty towards the end of the half. Filipe Luis looking very lively, as is Eden Hazard. Schalke weren't without their chances though - Julian Draxler, Huntelaar and Sidney Sam are causing problems for the hosts, but just can't quite find the final pass - the only difference between these sides going into the break. Stay tuned for the second-half right here on VAVEL UK.

HALF-TIME

45'. Julian Draxler somehow finds himself in amongst all the Chelsea defenders, but scuffs his shot wide. A wonderful opportunity for Schalke. One minute added time in the first half.

43'. The possession is more or less equal with 54% to Chelsea. Out of the two, the hosts have certainly made more of their possession though.

39'. Kevin Prince-Boateng unleashes a monstrous strike from outside the box, but luckily, Thibaut Courtois is on hand to make a terrific save and tip it behind. The resulting Schalke corner comes to nothing.

38'. What a chance for Fabregas! Branislav Ivanovic is played in on the right and gets to the six-yard box, before squaring to an unmarked Fabregas on the penalty spot, but he rushes his shot and it goes well over. Disappointing miss.

36'. A fantastic passing move around the box, Willian plays a beautiful ball to Eden Hazard on the left, but he is tackled for a Chelsea throw-in.

34'. After a nice passing move, Ivanovic squares the ball to goalscorer Cesc Fabregas, who tries his luck from the distance, but it's blocked.

32'. Filipe Luis swings in a mouth-watering cross, for an old-style Didier Drogba header, but it's headed straight at Fahrmann.

30'. Schalke break away at speed, but Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is caught dawdling in the box and possession is wasted.

26'. Free-kick to Chelsea after Kevin-Prince Boateng brings down Eden Hazard and the Ghanaian is booked as a result.

23'. Didier Drogba is looking like his energetic, old self. Delightfully reminiscent of this time two years ago.

21'. Julian Draxler outwits Branislav Ivanovic on the egde of the box, but his shot is well over.

20'. Sidney Sam with a decent effort. He cuts in from the right before unleashing a shot from just outside the box, but it's straight at Courtois.

18'. Willian also plays through Drogba with a sly through-ball, but Christian Fuchs gets a crucial touch. The resulting corner falls to Gary Cahill whose shot is cleared off the line by Ayhan.

16'. Eden Hazard sells the Schalke right-back and tries a typical right-foot shot, but the keeper has it covered.

15'. The home crowd are singing Jose Mourinho's name and the Portuguese manager, in typical classy fashion, gives a little wave.

14'. Schalke simply went to sleep there and now it's all Chelsea. Eden Hazard and Didier Drogba have been fantastic so far.

13'. Chelsea take the lead. Max Meyer loses the ball in a dangerous position to Eden Hazard. The number 10 sprints at the defence and plays through Cesc Fabregas, who slots home through the keeper's legs from close-range. Breakthrough.

12'. GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 SCHALKE (FABREGAS)

11'. Filipe Luis is looking extremely comfortable in defence already. He appears to be an astute signing so far.

9'. A long Chelsea passing move finds Didier Drogba on the left and the Ivorian crosses to Ramires in the middle of the box, but the midfielder scuffs his shot harmlessly at Fahrmann.

7'. Julian Draxler works the ball well in the middle and finds Sidney Sam in space on the right, but the ex-Leverkusen man screws his shot high and ridiculously wide.

6'. Eden Hazard is causing the Schalke defence all sorts of problems already.

5'. Raucous cheers from the Stamford Bridge faithful whenever Drogba gets the ball. The roof will be raised off the place if he scores tonight.

4'. It's all Chelsea in the early stages, the Blues dominating possession. Ramires attempts to play Drogba through on goal, but Fahrmann is out to collect it first.

2'. Willian goes on a darting run, before playing a beautiful through-ball to Eden Hazard on the left-wing, but the Belgian's pass to Nemanja Matic is intercepted.

1'. And we're underway. Chelsea's Champions League campaign begins.

KICK - OFF.

19:43. The two captains are shaking hands, John Terry and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

19:40. The teams are almost out on the pitch. I personally can't wait for the goosebump-provoking Champions League anthem - magical stuff.

19:38. Just over five minutes until kick-off. The atmosphere is almost electrifying.

19:35. Whatever the result tonight, you can almost guarantee that Cesc Fabregas will have a big say. The Spaniard has grabbed seven assists from four games in the Premier League. Tremendous.

19:30. The other game in Group G tonight, Maribor - Sporting Lisbon, is being played at 19.45 as well, so keep an eye out for that one too.

19:26. The other games going tonight are quite interesting, with Bayern Munich - Manchester City the pick of the bunch. That's also covered on VAVEL UK.

19:22. I'm quite surprised that Petr Cech wasn't trusted with the gloves for today's game, I don't think it would have hurt Courtois' feelings too much.

19:20. Only 25 minutes to go. The excitement and anticipation is echoing round the ground as Chelsea fans make the most of their sparkling run of form.

19:13. With no Andre Schurrle today, Willian and Hazard will control the wings, occasionally swapping and alternating into the middle. Ramires will add some extra energy and power going forward. It will be interesting to see Filipe Luis make his first start for the club at left-back. And of course, how will 36-year-old club legend Didier Drogba cope? We all know what happened in his last Champions League start against German opposition...

19:08. The Schalke attack is looking quite dangerous, with Meyer and Draxler offering pace and technique, while Boateng and Huntelaar add firepower and strength to the pot. I repeat what I said earlier; they should not be taken lightly.

19:05. The decision to start Didier Drogba as the lone striker is a big one by Jose Mourinho. But with Loic Remy and Diego Costa ready to step in if things begin to turn a bit sour, it's not too risky a decision.

19:00. With 45 minutes left to go until kick-off, a healthy atmosphere is beginning to build at the Bridge. It will be interesting to see how many Schalke fans make the long journey West to London.

18:58. Congratulations to Chelsea captain John Terry - tonight making his 600th start for the club. Legend.

18:55. Schalke's bench reads: Wetklo, Friedrich, Clemens, Choupo-Moting, Obasi, Barnetta, Avdijaj.

18:53. Chelsea's bench reads: Cech, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Oscar, Remy, Costa. It would be nice to see Kurt Zouma get some game-time tonight. Interestingly, no Andre Schurrle though. What's the story there?

18:50. With less than an hour until kick-off, how do you feel about the line-ups? Have the teams changed your prediction? Let us know on Twitter, via the #CheSchVAVEL hashtag.

18:48. So, there you have it. The teams have been announced. Some surprises, including first starts of the season for Filipe Luis and Didier Drogba.

18:45. BREAKING: Chelsea have announced their starting line-up. The team reads: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis; Matic, Fabregas; Ramires, Willian, Hazard; Drogba.

18:43. BREAKING: Schalke have announced their starting line-up. The team reads: Fahrmann; Hoger, Ayhan, Neustadter, Fuchs; Boateng, Aogo; Sam, Meyer, Draxler, Huntelaar.

18:42. Most other European teams have announced their starting line-ups for tonights games - but not Chelsea or Schalke yet. Told you so.

18:40. Chelsea have, potentially the biggest game of their domestic season coming up on Sunday, as they prepare to travel away to reigning champions Manchester City. With that in mind, if the Blues are leading comfortably towards the end of the game, expect to see Mourinho start resting key players ahead of that crucial clash at the Etihad. Schalke host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, looking for their first win of the season, after their worst start for 46 years. If they don't perform well tonight, one would imagine that questions regarding Jens Keller may begin to surface.

18:25. On the subject of youth players, it would be a wonderful sight to see one of the Chelsea youngsters start or come on tonight, such as promising, versatile Dutchman Nathan Ake, or the club's Young Player of the Year, Lewis Baker. Jose Mourinho, though, could be forgiven for naming a full-strength side, to try and make the best possible start to their campaign. The youngsters could very well feature against the lesser teams, however, like Maribor.

18:15. Another name to look out for, regarding Schalke, is the young attacking midfielder Max Meyer. The 18-year-old German has caught the eye of all the big clubs around Europe, including, coincidentally, Chelsea. The youngster played a big role in the team last season, making a staggering 37 appearances, as well as scoring six goal - a wonderful achievement for a player at such a tender age. He peformed blindingly last time out against Chelsea, so will be looking to cause a big upset tonight.

18:10. Chelsea's Diego Costa will be looking to extend his sparkling, goal-scoring start to his Chelsea career with another tonight. He has seven in four games in the Premier League, including a wonderful hat-trick against Swansea City at the weekend. Tonight could also see a Champions League debut for new signing Loic Remy, the Frenchman signed for £8m, who scored on his Blues debut against Swansea. He is looking like a great back-up striker to Costa.

18:00. As I mentioned a little earlier, you can get involved with the game at any time using Twitter and the #CheSchVAVEL hashtag and I will post your views here. Or, you can give your opinion using the Facebook widget to the right of your screens.

17:50. As soon as the team news breaks tonight - we're guessing about an hour from now - I will have it with you as soon as I can. Chelsea are notoriously late at announcing their team, however, so don't be alarmed if they aren't revealed right away.

17:40. Apologies for the foreign commentators, but these are the highlights from this fixture last season. Notice Samuel Eto'o's first goal and the sloppiness of poor Timo Hildebrand.

17:36. It's worth pointing out that Chelsea's U-19s beat the Schalke U-19s 4-1 earlier today, in the UEFA Youth League, the younger equivalent of tonight's competition. Izzy Brown got two, with Dominic Solanke and Ola Aina completing the scoring, despite a solitary Maurice Multhaup goal for Schalke. A fantastic start for the young English boys.

17:32. Jens Keller, Schalke manager, feels rather optimistic about the encounter. Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Keller stated, "All we can do is run, support each other and work really hard. We have to have a really good day to compete at this level." The German then told reporters, "I'm a very positive person and you've got to remember anything possible in football." The optimism he carries must be reassuring for his faltering squad.

17:27. Jose Mourinho says that his side can't afford to get complacent about the form tables. The manager told Chelsea TV, "The group is dangerous and you need to get your points. If we can get points immediately, not like last season when we put ourselves in a pressure situation with a home defeat, obviously it’s better."

17:23. Don't be surprised if Jose Mourinho opts to start Petr Cech in goal for the hosts tonight. Now second-choice keeper, he needs to take any game-time he can get in order to maintain the highest level of performance.

17:18. Alternatively, Schalke are facing an injury crisis at the back, with the recent injury of Benedikt Howedes adding to growing list of crocked defenders, including Felipe Santana and Joel Matip. It is not a great time to be a Schalke fan at the moment.

17:12. Jose Mourinho has a full, fresh squad at his disposal tonight, with Didier Drogba returning from injury. Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah will also hope to make their Chelsea Champions League debut tonight - the two being cup-tied last season after they had both appeared in the group phase of the competition with Benfica and Basel respectively.

17:09. Chelsea obviously have a supreme amount of talent in their squad, Diego Costa will be looking to carry on his absolutely remarkable run of form, while the likes of Eden Hazard, Andre Schurrle and Cesc Fabregas will try and exploit the weaknesses in their opponents defence.

17:04. Despite a poor start to their season, Schalke certainly have players who can hurt Chelsea tonight. They have two star strikers in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Kevin-Prince Boateng, with classy midfielders Jefferson Farfan and Julian Draxler operating just behind them, so they are no fools.

16:59. The two featured sides tonight have had the complete opposite of starts to their domestic season. While Chelsea are sitting proud at the summit of the early Premier League table, with four wins out of four and having scored 15 goals, their German counterparts have a miserable one point out of a possible twelve. Although their solitary point came in a hard-fought draw with reigning champions Bayern Munich, they have tasted defeat in their three other games, losing 4-1 to Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend.

16:55. More on the meetings of these two last year, the first encounter was at the Veltins Arena and the visitors emerged victorious courtesy of a brace from Fernando Torres and a third from Hazard. In the return fixture, Samuel Eto'o struck twice for Chelsea before Demba Ba killed off their opponents. The Blues will play at the Veltins again on the 25th November.

16:52. This is Chelsea's first Champions League game this season, so Jose Mourinho will be hoping to avoid any hiccups, like last year's home defeat to Basel. Schalke featured in Chelsea's group last year and were defeated 3-0 both home and away by the Blues, before qualifying second in the group. The Germans were then obliterated 9-2 (over two legs) in the Last 16 by eventual champions Real Madrid.

16:49. As always, you can have your say on Twitter, using #CheSchVAVEL. You can also share your views using the Facebook widget on the right of your screens.

16:45. Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of Chelsea - Schalke in the UEFA Champions League group-stage match. Kick-off is at 19:45, so stay tuned for pre-match updates, before minute-by-minute commentary of the game, right here on VAVEL UK.

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About the author
Cian Woulfe
I am a keen enthusiast in both English and Dutch football, with Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem the object of my desires. I also have a real soft spot for Rafael Nadal.