Maribor produced one of the greatest results in the club's history this evening as they fought to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in Group G of the Champions League.
The hosts took the lead five minutes after the restart courtesy of a stunning strike from Agim Ibraimi, but Nemanja Matic levelled the scores with a little over 15 minutes remaining.
Chelsea pushed for a winner and should have got it when they were awarded a penalty, but Eden Hazard saw his spot kick saved as Maribor hung on for a famous point.
You can read how an enthralling European night unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for what was an enthralling and memorable clash as Maribor hold the mighty Chelsea to a draw in Slovenia. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
What a result that is for Maribor! They hold on to a historic draw against Chelsea to keep their qualification hopes very much alive in the Champions League, while the hosts miss the chance to move five points clear themselves. It really was a cracking match, particularly in the second half, as Maribor gave a much better account of themselves than they did at Stamford Bridge last month. Agim Ibraimi put the hosts ahead before Matic's equaliser, while Hazard missed a penalty that would have sealed the points for the visitors.
There will be just two minutes of added time at the end of this match. Will we see any more drama here in Maribor?
MARIBOR SUB: The hosts have been trying to make this change for a while, but finally there is a stoppage in play for it to happen. Their goalscoring Ibraimi is replaced by Damjan Bohar.
Could this really be Maribor's night? They are still pouring players forward in search of what would surely be the greatest win in the club's history, despite also coming under heavy pressure at the other end. It is great to see from the hosts, who are on the verge of a very impressive draw.
Unbelievable scenes! Chelsea are gifted a glorious chance to take the lead and complete the turnaround when Hazard shows great feet to skip past Viler, who trips the Belgian to concede a penalty. Hazard takes the spot kick himself, but the usually-unerring winger is denied by Handanovic, who guesses right to make the save. Incredible! What a game this has been since Chelsea's equaliser.
SAVE! A long, floated ball over the top almost finds Hazard, but is just about cut out by the defence. However, they can only clear it as far as Costa, who drills an effort from range straight at the keeper.
UPDATE: Things go from bad to worse for Man City, who are now a man down as well as a goal down against CSKA courtesy of Fernandinho's red card. Lionel Messi has equalled Raul's record tally of 71 Champions League goals with a second against Ajax, while Sporting have made it 3-1 against Schalke in this group's other game.
CLOSE! At the other end Maribor almost regain their lead! Mendy comes forward with the ball before squaring it across the edge of the area for Tavares. However, the Brazilian rather mis-hits his effort and it skews narrowly past the post. Non-stop action here!
DISALLOWED GOAL! Chelsea have the ball in the back of the net, but it is wrongly disallowed for offside! Fabregas was the man deemed guilty, but he was level when the ball was played before finding Costa, who finished.
GREAT SAVE! It really is end-to-end stuff here! Moments after a Maribor attack breaks down Handanovic once again comes to their rescue with a fine fingertip save to deny Costa. The ball broke to the striker on the edge of the box, but his volley was well tipped over by the keeper.
WHAT A CHANCE! Ohhh how are Chelsea not ahead here?! Hazard is sent completely clean through on goal inside the box, but he can't squeeze the ball past Handanovic. It was lovely interchange between Hazard and Oscar, but the Maribor keeper made a fine stop. Not quite as bad a miss as Zahovic's, but a sitter nonetheless.
MARIBOR SUB: Moments before that goal the hosts made a change, with Jean-Philippe Mendy replacing Zahovic, whose miss is looking a lot more costly now then when he left the field just moments ago.
The pressure finally tells as Chelsea have their equaliser! It comes from a corner as Terry gets a good downward header towards the far corner, where Matic has lost his man to poke home from virtually on the line. Another crucial goal from the midfielder, who also scored the winner against Sporting. Now can Chelsea find a winner here?
CLOSE! The pressure continues to build from Chelsea as they come forward yet again here. Costa gives it to Hazard down the left channel, and he knocks it back for Oscar. The Brazilian cuts back inside and fires a deflected effort narrowly wide of the far post.
PENALTY SHOUT! Big penalty shout for the visitors as Matic finds Ramires, who in turn slides a low pass into the middle for Oscar. The Brazilian chooses to take a touch instead of shooting first time, and he appears to be tripped by Arghus, but the referee says no. I've certainly seen them given!
CHANCE! Another sight of goal for Chelsea as Drogba rises relatively unchallenged at the front post from a corner. However, it hits his shoulder and goes harmlessly wide when he would have been looking for a trademark header.
The visitors are now taking control of the game, having found the urgency they were severely lacking previously. Right now, it is hard to see Maribor withstanding this pressure for the remaining 20 minutes, but at the same time Handanovic has not really been tested much in this game yet.
Chelsea are also looking to quicken the tempo now as they look for an equaliser that will give them time to push on for a winner too. Costa looks to make that happen by creating a yard of space to shoot from the left side of the area, but once again he slices his effort high and wide.
Well, it looks like Ibraimi will continue, at least for now. Chelsea, meanwhile, are struggling to defend the wide areas right now as they have gone to a three-man defence since Ramires came on, and Maribor are looking capable of scoring a second right now.
Worrying signs for Maribor as Ibraimi goes down under the challenge of Ivanovic and seems to signal to the bench that he needs to be replaced. He plays on for now, but it may be something for Simundza to keep an eye on. That would be a blow for the hosts.
UPDATE: Sporting have turned things around against Schalke and now lead in Lisbon, which is probably good news for both of these sides now. Chelsea can only go through with a win and if Schalke get something from that game, but should Mourinho's men lose then they won't want Schalke to close the gap on first place. Shakhtar, meanwhile, have taken it to 10-0 on aggregate against 10-man BATE by taking a three-goal lead.
WHAT A MISS! Oh my word, what a miss this is! Maribor should be two ahead! Viler plays a peach of a ball in between the defence and goalkeeper, and Zahovic is there waiting at the back post. However, with the goal gaping in front of him he somehow lifts his effort over the bar from just a few yards out. It is an absolute sitter, but the top scorer in Slovenian football this season somehow missed it. How big could that prove to be?!
CHANCE! At the other end there is a chance for the hosts to double their lead as they continue to grow in confidence. Ibraimi swings a corner over to the back post for Rajcevic, who has lost his man but can't keep his volley down.
CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to level the scores as Oscar slips a pass to Hazard, who shows good strength and balance to beat one man and move the ball on to Costa. The sub has time to set himself up inside the box and put everything behind his shot, but he slices it high and wide. He should have done better there.
CHELSEA SUB: We're only 10 minutes into the second half, but Mourinho has now made all three changes as Ramires replaces Luis. That is Mourinho's way of letting his side know that he is not happy!
...but Oscar hits it straight into the wall. Moments later, Stojanovic goes into the book for a late challenge on the left side of the field.
Drogba goes down softly under a challenge from behind to win Chelsea in a free kick in a decent position. This is a good chance to hit straight back for the visitors...
Would you believe it?! Maribor take the lead here, and it is a beauty from Ibraimi. Zouma can only get a glancing header onto Viler's cross into the box, taking the ball to Ibraimi. He has had a couple of ambitious efforts over the last two games and hasn't scored for a few months, but he makes no mistake as he curls a lovely effort into the far corner. Cech had no chance. Game on now!
The first thing to note is that, despite the changes, Chelsea have not changed their shape here. That means that Costa has started out on the left rather than up front alongside Drogba, while Oscar is playing in a central role.
The visitors do come forward looking for that early goal, with Drogba getting two attempts to put the ball into the box. The first is dealt with, while the second squirms under the foot of Rajcevic and thankfully into the arms of the keeper.
KICKOFF: Chelsea get us back underway for this second half, and those subs suggest that they may have some angry words from Mourinho ringing in their ears. Will we see a response in the early stages?
CHELSEA SUBS: Mourinho clearly wasn't happy with that first-half performance as he has made two changes at the break Diego Costa comes on for Schurrle, while Oscar replaces Willian. Chelsea are going for this one!
Indeed, Maribor will feel that they have a real chance of winning this match right now. Chelsea have probably just about been the better side in terms of general play so far, but the hosts have played some lovely football at times and look capable of creating something. Neither side can have any complaints at being level at the break, and we're all set up for an intriguing second 45 minutes.
Chelsea began the match very brightly and, for the opening 10 minutes or so, it looked as if a repeat of that 6-0 rout a fortnight ago may be on the cards. The visitors were getting plenty of joy down the left flank and flooding men forward at every opportunity, with the full-backs acting more like wingers. However, Maribor grew into the match and quickly solved their weak spots to keep Chelsea at bay.
Elsewhere, there hasn't been too much goalmouth action for either side, with Chelsea largely being limited to shots from outside the area. Drogba had one such effort that drew a good stop from Handanovic following a deflection, and that is the toughest test the Maribor keeper has faced so far. Hazard and Schurrle have also had efforts, but it has been a much quieter night for Handanovic so far than it was at Stamford Bridge.
Maribor have had a good chance of their own, however, with talisman Tavares showing great strength to shrug off Fabregas before skipping past both Matic and Terry with some lovely footwork to burst into the box. He chose to pass it when he perhaps could have shot, and his ball to Zahovic forced the youngster too far out wide for him to finish. He managed to keep it in and drop it back for Sallalich, but his effort was cleared off the line by Zouma.
The best chances have fallen the way of Chelsea, though, with Zouma having the clearest of the lot so far. It came from the left flank as Drogba nodded the ball down to Fabregas, who lifted a measured cross into the middle. The young centre-back was there to meet it and should have hit the target despite having to lean back to reach the ball. However, he planted his header narrowly wide as Maribor survived.
The referee brings an end to the first half, and it remains all square in Slovenia as Maribor have held Chelsea to a goalless first 45 minutes so far. It has been a very different game to the one we saw in Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago, with Maribor holding their own this time around and preventing Chelsea from getting a stranglehold of it.
It is Maribor who are putting the pressure on in these closing stages of the first half, coming forward with confidence. They have really grown into this game and will be delighted with their first-half display.
SAVE! Better from Hazard, who has been fairly anonymous so far. He drifts over to the right before cutting inside onto his left foot and firing a low strike towards the corner. Handanovic gets down well to push it behind for a corner, though.
UPDATE: Man City do not make it easy for themselves do they?! Having drawn level to that early goal, they are now back behind against CSKA Moscow at the Etihad in a must-win match. Elsewhere, Messi has drawn level with Ronaldo within one goal of Raul's Champions League scoring record to put Barcelona 1-0 up against Ajax, while Bayern have also broken the deadlock against Roma.
SHOT! Schurrle breaks forward for the visitors this time and, with the defenders backing off, he chooses to have a dig from 20 yards. He strikes the ball well enough, but drags it a few yards wide of the far post when he probably should have done better.
SAVE! Drogba takes the free kick on and at least works the goalkeeper with his 25-yard effort, but it is pretty easy for Handanovic. He watches it all the way and makes a comfortable catch.
YELLOW CARD! Matic does brilliantly in midfield to win the ball and drive forward, taking the pace of the game up a few notches. He is eventually fouled by Filipovic, who goes into the book. Another harsh one from the ref.
Well, he's going to give it a go. Drogba hobbles back onto the field, but he is not moving freely at all right now. It may have just been an impact injury, so he will be hoping to be able to run it off.
Drogba is actually unable to walk off the field, with the cart coming on to drive him to the sidelines. Mourinho hasn't called for the sub just yet, but it doesn't look too good for Drogba right now.
Droga is down and in need of treatment here, which is not good news for Chelsea. They lost Loic Remy in the reverse fixture and Drogba certainly looks in pain here, but it looks like he may try to run it off. Costa is the only replacement on the bench and, given his recent injury troubles, Mourinho wouldn't have wanted him playing too many minutes.
Maribor will be pretty pleased with their opening half an hour to this match. They have held their own against Chelsea, limited them to only one really good chance. The visitors started the match well, but the hosts have responded and are very much in this game right now. It is developing into an intriguing contest.
The ball is slid through for Drogba by Hazard, who tries to push the ball past Stojanovic. However, the Maribor defender does well to get his body in the way, drawing the foul and ending a dangerous move that would have seen Drogba through on goal.
UPDATE: Sporting have equalised against Schalke in Lisbon, which is good news for Maribor and also doesn't affect Chelsea's chances of progression with a victory. Elsewhere, Shakhtar, who hammered BATE 7-0 a fortnight ago, have taken the lead in the reverse fixture in Donetsk.
Ibraimi takes on the free kick from a long way out and loops an effort towards goal that Cech has covered all the way. I'm not sure whether that was a shot or a cross, but either way it wasn't very good.
YELLOW CARD! Luis becomes the first man in the book tonight, and it is a very harsh one as the left-back clearly got the ball when challenging Sallalich.
Schurrle missed an absolute sitter here, but his blushes are spared by the linesman's flag! Hazard picks the ball up in a central role and plays it out wide for Willian having not found space to shoot. The Brazilian fizzes a ball across the box that the keeper gets a hand to, but can't stop going all the way through to Schurrle. However, the German sliced his effort well off target with the goal gaping. It wouldn't have counted anyway, though.
There is a great atmosphere around the stadium at the moment, with the home fans happy with what they have seen so far. They have held their own for more than 20 minutes, but they will know that any lapse in concentration could be ruthlessly exposed by this Chelsea side.
So far, though, Maribor have been limited largely to shots from range that have not troubled Cech. The latest of those takes a deflection on the way through that takes all the sting out of the shot, and it is easy for Cech to mop up.
That Tavares chance has given Maribor a lot of confidence here, and they are playing a good expansive game right now. They are certainly applying themselves more effectively than they did a fortnight ago, and the signs are positive right now for the visitors.
UPDATE: There has been a significant goal in Lisbon, where Schalke have taken the lead against Sporting. As things stand, then, a Chelsea victory tonight would send them through to the knockout rounds.
OFF THE LINE! Magnificent from Tavares as he bullies Fabregas out of the way before showing superb feet to beat both Terry and Matic. Zouma comes across to try and block the shot, so Tavares instead tries to find Zahovic with a pass, but he puts too much on it. The youngster does manage to recover it and play it back into the area, but the subsequent effort is cleared off the line by Zouma. Tavares may have been a little too unselfish there!
UPDATE: Better news for City fans now as their side have equalised against CSKA Moscow at the Etihad courtesy of a Yaya Toure strike. That is a match they really do need to win, so such a quick response will please Manuel Pellegrini.
SAVE! Handanovic is called into action for the first time tonight as Hazard pokes the ball to Drogba, who is allowed to turn around 20 yards from goal. His effort is deflected on the way through, forcing Handanovic to change direction quickly and make the save.
Chelsea are getting a lot of joy down the left flank in these opening stages, with Luis seeing plenty of the ball and not needing a second invitation to get forward. That Fabregas cross also came from the left, so Ante Simundza may need to look at changing something there.
CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to open the scoring nice and early as Drogba nods the ball to Fabregas, who lifts a nice little pass into the middle from the left flank. Zouma is the man to get on the end of it having stayed up from a corner, but when on the back foot he can;t hit the target, putting his header inches wide.
This has been a really bright start to the match from Chelsea, who are dominating possession and flooding forward at every opportunity. Maribor can't get out of their own half at the moment as they look to weather this early storm.
UPDATE: There have been a couple of early goals elsewhere in Europe, and it isn't good news for Manchester City as they are behind in their must-win match against CSKA Moscow. PSG, meanwhile have taken the lead against APOEL in the opening exchanges.
Chelsea threaten early as Luis is not picked up on the left side, advancing into the box unmarked. He pulls the ball back into the middle and Maribor can't quite fully clear it, but eventually the danger is cleared.
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Maribor get us underway amidst a raucous atmosphere as they look to pull of a shock against the Group G leaders Chelsea.
The players are out on the field as the inimitable Champions League anthem rings around the stadium. We're all set for another special night of European action here in Maribor!
I will be keeping you updated with all the major events from that match in Lisbon, as well as the goings on around Europe on another full night of Champions League action. The likes of Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Roma are all in action tonight, so we should be in for an entertaining one. The same matches brought about the highest-scoring day in Champions League history a fortnight ago, and you can make sure you don't miss a thing on Sports Mole as we have all of the games covered.
Sporting and Schalke also meet in Group G, and that match will have a bearing on events here as it could result in Chelsea progressing. As mentioned earlier, Maribor would not be eliminated whatever happens tonight, but they could do without Schalke winning in Portugal, whereas that result would mean a victory for Chelsea sends them through.
Chelsea's 6-0 victory was actually the first time they had ever played Slovenian opposition in European competition, but Maribor have come up against English teams on a few occasions. They picked up their first victory against an English side last season with a 2-1 victory over Wigan in the Europa League group stages, but aside from that their record is pretty poor, with a draw and five defeats.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff in Slovenia, which means that it is time for a prediction! Mourinho has warned his side not to get complacent against a "dangerous" Maribor side, and I don't foresee tonight's match being quite as emphatic as it was last month, but I still can't see past a Chelsea victory. I think it will be fairly comfortable once again for the visitors, so I'll go for a 3-0 victory.
It was expected that Costa would be given a rest this evening as he continues his recovery from a persistent hamstring problem. The striker has been in blistering form when fit since joining from Atletico, and Mourinho will know that there are tougher games than tonight;s coming up that Costa would be more important for. Instead, DRogba starts having come off the bench to replace the injured Remy when these two last met. He went on to score a penalty there, which was his first goal for the club since clinching success in the 2012 Champions League final.
Further forward, Eden Hazard will be looking to carry his form over into this match having won the penalty and scored it to beat QPR at the weekend, albeit controversially. He was also a joy to watch in the reverse fixture between these two last month, picking up two goals in a display that earned him the man of the match award. He now has three in his last four outings and has been a real threat to defenders in almost every match he has played. Alongside him, Willian looks to be becoming a favourite of Mourinho, while Schurrle has blown hot and cold this season but will be looking to take his chance in the team today ahead of Saturday's match against Liverpool.
The midfield duo will again look to pull the strings tonight, particularly Fabregas, who has been sensational since his summer move from Barcelona. The £30m Chelsea spent on him looks like a bargain right now as he gives Chelsea yet another way of breaking through. Last season one of their biggest problems was not having a Plan B against a stubborn defence, but this time around they have many ways to break down the opposition. Matic alongside has been magnificent since his return to the club in January, and he more than anyone gives Chelsea the balance that all managers strive for.
Chelsea, meanwhile, opt to go with Cech in goal ahead of Courtois, which is an interesting decision. Cech has played the odd game this season, and Mourinho may well be ensuring that the long-serving keeper gets enough first-team football to keep him relatively happy having been linked with a January exit. In front of him is the same four that played against Maribor last time out, and Zouma looked comfortable at this level during that performance. The others are, of course, well versed in the ways of the Champions League and will look to help the youngster out should he need it tonight.
Viler will also be hoping for a better time of things tonight having scored an unfortunate own goal in the reverse fixture. The match was already beyond Maribor when the defender turned the ball past his own keeper, but it was yet more bad luck in a performance fraught with misfortune for the Slovenian side. They will certainly need Lady Luck on their side instead of against them if they are to get anything from this match tonight. Up front, Tavares is their skipper and most experienced player, so he could look to use some tricks of the trade against the inexperienced Zouma.
Zahovic was the player who scored that late equaliser against Sporting on matchday one, but Maribor's other Champions League goalscorer this season - Bohar - is left on the bench tonight. Ibraimi looked like Maribor's most likely avenue of success at Stamford Bridge, but he missed a glorious chance to get his side on the scoreboard when he missed a penalty that he won himself. He will be hoping for a little more luck tonight against a strong Chelsea defence.
So, what can we make of those teams? Well, starting with the hosts, it is good to see Zahovic lead the line as he has quickly become one of Maribor's most important players, despite only being 18. He is the son of Slovenia's highest ever scorer Zlatko Zahovic, and currently leads the way in the domestic scoring charts with eight this season. He was surprisingly left on the bench at Stamford Bridge but, despite being red carded on Friday, is named in the starting XI tonight.
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Filipe Luis; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Willian, Hazard; Drogba
MARIBOR STARTING XI: Handanovic; Rajcevic, Viler, Arghus, Stojanovic; Z. Filipovic, Sallalich, Ibraimi, Mertelj; Tavares, Zahovic
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the player conspicuous by his absence is Diego Costa, who drops back to the bench for Chelsea. That sees Drogba lead the line, while Schurrle also comes in for Oscar. Zouma replaces Cahill at the back, while there is also a start for Cech ahead of Courtois. Maribor, meanwhile, start top scorer Zahovic having left him on the bench at Stamford Bridge, while Ibraimi has recovered from injury in time to play. Full teams for both sides coming right up...
Its is hard to find a weakness in the Chelsea side. Even away from home their form has been exemplary. They are now unbeaten in 11 matches on their travels, stretching back to the quarter-finals last season as PSG beat them in the French capital. However, their victory over Sporting on matchday two was their first away win in this competition in five games, during which time they managed just three goals. Defensively they are usually very sound, but the match against Maribor provided their only clean sheet in their last five games, which will be a minor worry for Mourinho.
Out of all the English clubs in the Champions League this season, Chelsea appear to have the best chance of lifting the trophy in May. The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich will provide stiff opposition, but Chelsea have such a well balanced squad that they would fancy their chances against any of those big boys. Mourinho didn't lift the trophy with Chelsea during his first spell, but would become the first manager to win the competition with three different clubs if he lifts it this year. It would, of course, be a tough ask, but Chelsea are in this to win it.
Indeed, Chelsea could book their place in the knockout rounds of the competition tonight. A victory would all but secure their place anyway, but they will be mathematically through if a victory for them is coupled by Sporting failing to beat Schalke in Group G's other match taking place tonight. Mourinho will have been keen to get the job done as soon as possible in order to potentially rest players in the final two games, so don't expect him to let up on Maribor tonight.
The Champions League has been a slightly different story in that their last two victories have been comfortable ones. Last time out they thoroughly outclassed Maribor and, despite Mourinho claiming that it was a "fake" result, the 6-0 scoreline didn't flatter them on the night. On matchday two they only beat Sporting 1-0, but while everything went in for them against Maribor, the same wasn't true in Lisbon. Chelsea probably created as many chances against Sporting as they did against Maribor, they simply couldn't put the ball in the back of the net enough times to reflect their dominance. The only blotch on their Champions League copybook so far was a draw with Schalke in the opening game, but that doesn't appear to have harmed their qualifying hopes much.
One such battling victory came at the weekend when they squeezed past a spirited and unlucky QPR side courtesy of a contentious penalty that proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory. They have also been forced all the way by Crystal Palace and even lowly Shrewsbury Town in recent weeks, while Manchester United struck late to hold them to a draw. Those are all signs that they are perhaps going through a dip in form, but they are still not losing games, which really is a sign of champions.
That would be some feat but, if they can avoid defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, then they will have already negotiated most of their trickiest tests this season, and right now it is hard to see quite who will beat them. They have been forced to dig results out more often in recent weeks than they did at the start of the season, but such is the strength in this Chelsea side that they can beat you in a number of different ways.
It is fair to say that Chelsea are comfortably the best team that they have come up against in that time, with Jose Mourinho's side making a magnificent start to the new season. They remain unbeaten in all competitions having played 15 games, and domestically there is even talk of them emulate the Arsenal side of 2003-04 and going the whole campaign without losing a game.
They have a better record on paper when it comes to home matches in the Champions League, although that is a little misleading given that they have not participated in the group stages for 15 years. They have lost just one of their last seven home Champions League games, while the defeat to Chelsea last month was their first loss in nine games in this competition this season.
Often travelling to Eastern European teams can be a daunting task in the Champions League, but Maribor don't boast a fearsome home record in recent weeks, so Chelsea won't have much to worry about. The Purples have won just one of their last five home games in all competitions, while they haven;t won in the league or Champions League in front of their own fans since mid-September. They did, however, hold Sporting to a 1-1 draw in their only other home Champions League match so far this season.
Indeed, they come into this match sitting fourth in the Slovenian league, with 29 points from 15 matches. They lost to top-of-the-table Domzale on Friday night, which saw them drift nine points behind the league leaders. However, the good news for Ante Simundza's side is that they have a game in hand over the teams around them in the standings, and victory in that match would see them climb back into second as things stand.
It is a tall order for the Slovenian side, though. It is often said that winning is a habit, and it is not one that Maribor are in right now. They have lost three of their last five matches, while not scoring more than once in any of those games. They have been big games as well, losing to first and second in the league in addition to the thumping by Chelsea. If they can't rescue their Champions League then we may not see them again next season, as they are falling behind in their domestic title race.
They will be confident of getting something from their final two matches in the group, however, having already taken points off both Sporting and Schalke this season. Both of those games ended as 1-1 draws, although Maribor did need a very late equaliser to rescue a point from their opener against Sporting. Even so, if they can get anything from tonight's match then they may really fancy their chances of a surprise progression into the knockout rounds.
However, prior to that 6-0 drubbing, they had taken two points from their opening two games, and as a result they are still in with a chance of qualification from Group G. That will be the case going into their next match as well as, whatever happens this evening, they cannot be eliminated. However, should Schalke get anything against Sporting then it would be a tall order for the Slovenian champions, who at best then may be forced to rely on the goal difference that took such a hit at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.
Maribor have been fairly solid so far in what is their first appearance in the Champions League group stages for 15 years, although it all fell apart a little for them at Stamford Bridge last month. They were crushed by a vastly superior Chelsea outfit and, although luck played a major part in the scoreline - with an own goal, a dubious penalty, a potential offside goal given and a missed penalty of their own - they were comfortably second best in every department.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League Group G clash between Maribor and Chelsea in Slovenia. The hosts will be looking for a measure of revenge in this one, while the visitors will be hoping that a win is enough to see them safely through to the next round - although that also depends on results elsewhere. Let's start with a look at Maribor...
