After a two-month hiatus, Europe’s biggest soccer competition makes its much-awaited return as the UEFA Champions League kick off with the round of 16 matches. Defending champions Real Madrid take center stage this coming Wednesday as they resume their quest for back-to-back Champions League titles when they square off with German club Schalke at Veltins-Arena.
Who will grab the advantage in the first leg of this all-important Champions League clash? Read on for a complete preview of this European showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Champions League first-leg tie between PSG and Chelsea here.
[sc:Soccer ]Real Madrid vs. Schalke Betting Preview
Where: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
When: Wednesday, February 18, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Real Madrid (-300) at Schalke (+625), tie +350; total: 3.0 – view all UEFA Champions League lines
What’s At Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]This may only be the first leg of a two-leg tie but expect both teams to go all-out for the victory this coming Wednesday. Schalke knows that getting a result at the Bernabeu in a couple of weeks’ time will be a tough task for them so their best bet of gaining an advantage in this tie will be to get a win at their own home field.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will go on the attack as well knowing that they can kill off the tie by scoring those precious away goals in these knockout stages.
Betting on Real Madrid
Real Madrid will head into their Champions League round of 16 clash with Schalke with momentum on their side following a comprehensive 2-0 win Saturday over Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu. Isco and Karim Benzema were the goal scorers for Madrid, who remained one point ahead of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga standings.
It was far from a vintage Real Madrid display, however, as they wasted several glorious opportunities to put the hammer down against Deportivo. Cristiano Ronaldo was mainly responsible for some of those miscues as he spectacularly missed a shot attempt from one yard out as well as hitting the cross bar with a shot late in the game.
Ronaldo’s scoring drought has been a cause for concern for the Galacticos of late. The reigning World Player of the Year has now gone three games without a goal, the first time that has happened since 2013. With that being said, manager Carlo Ancelotti will be optimistic of Ronaldo’s chances of breaking his goal-scoring slump against Schalke as the Portuguese thrives in the bright lights of Champions League soccer.
Last year, Ronaldo broke the record for most goals in a single Champions League season with a whopping 17 goals to his name. This year, Ronaldo is on a tear once again as he has grabbed a total of five goals for the Galacticos thus far this campaign, the third-best mark in the competition.
That has played a crucial part in Real Madrid’s domination of Group E as they swept past the elimination round, winning all of their six matches in the group stages. Such was their dominance in the opening round that they posted a tournament-best goal differential of +14.
They will fancy their chances of continuing that dominance against Schalke, whom they thrashed emphatically in the same round of the Champions League last season. The Galacticos ran riot in their round of 16 clash with Schalke last season, beating them 9-2 in goal aggregate.
Real Madrid are 5-0 in their last five Champions League matches.
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Betting on Schalke
Schalke had their five-game unbeaten run snapped Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to Bundesliga rivals Frankfurt. Brazilian Lucas Piazon proved to be the thorn in Schalke’s side as he headed home the winner in the 64th minute to seal all three points for the Eagles.
Manager Roberto di Matteo’s club will need all the preparation that they can muster as lying in wait for them in a couple of days’ time are the reigning champions Real Madrid in a rematch of their round of 16 clash last season.
Despite their shock defeat to Frankfurt over the weekend, we can expect di Matteo to line Schalke up in the same defensive formation against Real Madrid. Schalke will employ its patented five-man defense that has attracted so much criticism of late for its overly-defensive style of football.
This style may be boring for some but we definitely can’t deny the results this formation is providing the club. Prior to their defeat to Frankfurt over the weekend, the Royal Blues have gone unbeaten over their previous five games, winning three times and drawing twice. During that period, Schalke conceded just two goals.
Another reason why the Royal Blues will persist with this formation is their horrible defensive record in the Champions League this season. Among the 16 remaining teams in the competition, Schalke have allowed the most number of goals, conceding a total of 14 goals this campaign. It won’t get any easier for them as they will have to deal with Real Madrid’s vast array of attacking stars next.
It’s crucial for Schalke to remain compact in defense and catch Real Madrid on the counter-attack. With Real Madrid expected to dominate possession, chances in this match for Schalke will be few and far between. The onus then is on veteran goal scorer Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Maxim Choupo-Moting to strike when those half-chances arise.
Choupo-Moting has been a pleasant surprise for Schalke this season, leading the Royal Blues in goals this season in the Bundesliga, netting nine this campaign. On the European front, though, it is Huntelaar who is leading the way for the Schalke frontline. He has scored three goals for Schalke in the Champions League this season and his experience will prove vital in handling the Real Madrid defense.
Their main priority though is to stop Real Madrid’s world-class attack. In their first-leg encounter last season, Real Madrid destroyed them 6-1 at the Veltins-Arena. The Royal Blues can ill afford another atrocious defensive performance if they are to grab a massive upset this time around.
Schalke are 2-2-1 in their last five Champions League matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Real Madrid and Schalke play out a goalless draw (+350).
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