Chelsea to meet Schalke 04 in Champions League

Chelsea have been drawn to play Bundesliga side Schalke 04 in the group stages of the Champions League.

The draw has been relatively kind to Jose Mourinho's side, who will also play Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon and Slovenian outfit Maribor.

The Blues played Schalke in last year's competition, beating them home and away, but they have never played Sporting or Maribor, who defeated Celtic in the final qualifying round.

The first round of group fixtures will take place on September 16 and September 17.