LONDON - Unbeaten in all competitions this season, Chelsea has been in stellar form and could ensure itself a spot in the knockout stage of the Champions League with a win on Wednesday.Victory over Maribor in Group G, along with Sporting Lisbon failing to beat Schalke, would be enough for the London club to advance.Sporting, looking to turn around its season, is winless in this seasons tournament and sixth in the Portuguese league. But the team was denied a point against Schalke in October when Adrien Silva was penalized for handball, although replays showed the ball hit his chest.Here are some things to know about Wednesdays matches:___CHELSEA EYES KNOCKOUT STAGEChelsea has already beaten Maribor, routing the Slovenian club 6-0 at Stamford Bridge in October, and leads the Premier League by four points.But Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will be looking for an improvement on Wednesday after saying his teams collective performance was not there in the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.In the end we deserved to win but the result couldve been more than such a narrow result, Mourinho said. We have to be more consistent and play better.___SCHALKES INJUREDSchalke travels to Portugal without attacking midfielder Julian Draxler, who is out for the year with a hamstring injury. But another midfielder, Kevin-Prince Boateng, should be back.The absence of Draxler, however, will hurt Schalkes attack. A member of Germanys World Cup squad, Draxlers speed is crucial to Schalkes counterattacks.Schalke has stabilized under coach Roberto di Matteo, winning three of four games under his guidance.You always have to try to score at least one goal away, Di Matteo said. We want to be organized in defence and then try to execute a few counterattacks.Schalke has been bolstered by the return of defensive midfielder Jan Kirchhoff from injury, who is on loan from Bayern Munich.We are going to Lisbon to win and all but clinch a slot in the knockout round, Kirchhoff said.___MAKING GOODSportings players host Schalke after being criticized by their president.Sporting dropped to sixth place in the Portuguese league after a meek display in a 3-0 loss at Guimaraes. The team has only four wins from nine games in the domestic championship.On top of that, Sporting is winless after three Champions League games.Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho said the team had embarrassed the club.They didnt show any commitment or desire to win, Carvalho said of the match against Guimaraes. Its time for them to show they are worthy of this club.___MARIBOR WANTS RESPONSEMaribors preparation for Chelsea was hampered Friday by a 1-0 loss to Slovenian league leader Domzale.We have to recuperate as soon as possible and focus our attention on what lies ahead, Maribor coach Ante Simundze said. Waking up after a victory is easier than after a defeat, but the guys have to hold their heads up high and believe in themselves. And they must focus their energy toward a new challenge.Maribor is third in Group G after drawing 1-1 in its other matches against Sporting and Schalke.___AP Sports Writer Nesha Starcevic in Frankfurt and Associated Press writer Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report. China Wholesale Nike Air Max 90 . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U. Fake Air Max 270 Black . -- Jonathan Vilmas season is over and his future on the football field is in doubt. http://www.wholesalenikeshoesclearance.c...hoes.html.James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Where To Buy Cheap Kyrie Shoes . -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Lebron James Shoes In Order . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St.Emotions boiled over in a game between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, resulting in a pair of ugly incidents. Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit. Thornton attempted to engage Orpik in a fight, but the defenceman declined the invitation. Later on the same shift, the stick of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby became entangled in the skates of the Bruins Brad Marchand. Marchand fell to the ice and, as he was prone, the knee of Penguins James Neal made contact with Marchands head. As a scrum ensued following the kneeing incident, Thornton skated in behind Orpik, pulled him to the ice from behind with a slew foot and delivered several punches to his head, knocking him unconscious. Orpik was stretchered off the ice after a lengthy delay. Neal received a minor penalty for kneeing and Thornton received a match penalty with intent to injure for his attack on Orpik. The ball is now in the court of Brendan Shanahan and the NHL Department of Player Safety as the league will look to mete out supplementary discipline. But what does each player deserve? The chain of events was set in motion by Orpiks hit and his refusal to engage with Thornton. One of the leagues heavyweights, TThornton has never been suspended before in his career, but his attack on Orpik was clearly premeditated by what happened earlier in the shift.dddddddddddd. In an interview that ran on ESPN.com this week, Thornton was asked about the future of fighting in the NHL, Thornton positioned himself as a proponent of "the code." "Ive been a firm believer my whole life that what goes around comes around," Thornton told ESPN. "If youre one of those guys that suckers someone when theyre down or you go after somebody that doesnt deserve it or isnt the same category as you, that will come back and bite you at some point, too." Does this fall into that category and, if so, will it come back and bite him? Neal has been suspended twice before. In 2009, as a member of the Dallas Stars, Neal received two games for a hit from behind on the Columbus Blue Jackets Derek Dorsett. Then, in the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Neal received one game for a charge on Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers. Considering that Neal is a repeat offender and Marchands prone status, what, if anything, does Neal deserve? Before the NHL hands down its suspensions, weigh in with how you would deal out justice in tonights incidents. What suspensions should be handed out? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '