Two clubs chasing UEFA Champions League glory will do battle today in a match between Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid. The Round of 16 clash scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on Fox Sports 1.
What They're Saying
Schalke 04 manager Roberto Di Matteo (via UEFA): "My experience as an underdog [with Chelsea FC] doesn't really help that much. I am with a different team now and will try to prepare this one as well as possible. I will try to draw on my experience and so will the players. We want to show we have improved and are a better team than in the past. Of course we have all seen that Madrid have shown certain weaknesses in the past three or four weeks, so we will focus on capitalising on them. Every team has weaknesses. Nevertheless, they are still a side with very good players."
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti: "We are still thinking about our lineup because quite a few things have changed at Schalke since last year. In particular, the system has been altered. They might play a back three, for example. We will not change our own system. We have to play with intensity, win balls back early in defense and try to find the gaps in attack early on."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Pepe is scheduled to return to the lineup after returning to match fitness. In two Champions League appearances, the 31-year-old is averaging 2.5 tackles and seven clearances.
Schalke 04's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Wellenreuther; Höwedes, Matip, Nastasić; Uchida, Fuchs; Kirchhoff, Höger, Boateng; Choupo-Moting, Huntelaar
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Lucas Silva, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.