Inter Milan v Schalke 04 – Match Preview: UEFA Champions League
Inter Milan and Schalke face off against each other on Tuesday, 5th of April 2010 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. The match is scheduled to be played at San Siro in Milan which is Inter’s home ground. Let us take
a look at how both the teams will lineup for this crucial European matchup...
Inter Milan
Inter Milan’s loss to A.C Milan at the weekend in Derby Della Madonnina has put them five points behind Rossoneri in the race for 2010-2011 Serie A title. However, with the focus shifted back towards European football on Tuesday night, one can expect
Inter Milan to return to winning ways against Schalke as they are the favourites to get all three points in the first leg in Italy.
Inter, as the defending champions of the UEFA Champions League, qualified for the quarterfinals after defeating Bayern Munich in the round of sixteen. Moreover, Leonardo’s men have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five competitive fixtures.
This run of form has seen Inter defeat Bayern Munich but draw against Brescia in Serie A.
Schalke 04
German football’s only remaining representatives in the UEFA Champions League have a massive task ahead of them if they are to secure their place in the last four teams of Europe’s most prized competition. Schalke won their round of sixteen encounter against
Valencia to cement their place in the quarterfinals.
Out of their last five fixtures, Schalke have won three and lost two. Their latest loss came against Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga on the past weekend as Michael Ballack’s team battered Schalke by two goals to nil. Schalke parted ways with their manager
Felix Magath after their win over Valencia in the second week of March, thus their credentials as a top European outfit are still under question.
Team News
Inter Milan will be without their Argentinean center back, Walter Samuel who is out for the season for the Italian champions. Diego Milito is fit enough to start the tie against Schalke on Tuesday night alongside his strike partner, Samuel Eto’. Javier Zanetti
and Maicon are also fully fit to feature against Schalke as Inter enter a new stage of their UEFA Champions League title defence.
Expected Inter Milan lineup: Julio Cesar, Javier Zanetti, Maicon, Lucio, Andrea Ranocchia, Esteban Cambiasso, Thiago Motta, Samuel Eto’o, Goran Pandev, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito
Schalke have a host of first team players missing from action due to their respective injury troubles. Mario Gavranovic is set to undergo a late fitness test to ascertain the extent of his ankle injury. Peer Kluge is also a doubt because of his abdominal
strain. However, Christoph Metzelder might start the match as he has recovered in time from his nose injury.
Expected Schalke lineup: Manuel Neuer, Lukas
Schmitz, Christoph Metzelder, Benedikt Howedes, Atsuto Uchida, Jose Jurado, Joel Matip, Anthony Annan, Edu, Raul Gonzalez, Aggelos Charisteas
Key Players
Inter Milan’s success in the match against Schalke is dependent on the creative influence of Wesley Sneijder. The Nerazurri midfielder was an integral part of Inter’s treble winning team last season. In the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League, Sneijder has already
scored once and assisted three goals in seven matches for the European champions.
Conversely, Schalke will bank on the offensive talents and the predatory skills of Raul Gonzales. The ex-Real Madrid striker pulled his team through to a one-all draw against Valencia in the first leg of their round of sixteen matchup. In the 2010-2011 season,
Raul has scored sixteen and assisted four goals in total for Schalke 04.
Prediction
Inter Milan are favourites to win against Schalke on Tuesday night but their German opponents are expected to give the Italians a tough time at San Siro.
Prediction: 1-0 to Inter Milan.