Schalke 04 vs. Inter Milan: Manuel Neuer confident of keeping a clean sheet – UEFA Champions League
Schalke goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, has revealed that a clean sheet against Inter Milan in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League at San Siro would be crucial. He said that if Schalke do not concede a goal in Italy, they would stand a very good chance in the second-leg of the fixture in Gelsenkirchen.
Inter will take on Schalke in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League. The first-leg of the clash will be played at the San Siro on Tuesday, April 5th. The Nerazzurri downed Bayern Munich while Schalke defeated Valencia in the knock-out stage of the competition.
The German International insisted that the Schalke defence has to be on its toes as Inter play brilliant attacking football. He said that Die Knappen are full of confidence after their 2-0 away win over FC St. Pauli in the German Bundesliga on Friday.
“Our game plan is to try and see if we can keep a clean sheet. We want to return home with a positive result to keep our chances alive for the second leg at the Veltins Arena. To do that, we have to be very organised at the back and defend well, just like we did against St Pauli,” the goalkeeper was quoted as saying in an interview.
Neuer admitted his side is full of confidence and will play in Milan with the aim of getting a good result. He added that Friday’s win in the Bundesliga has put them back on track and an upset is definitely on the cards.
“We're very optimistic following our win over St. Pauli on Friday evening. We're travelling to Milan with the goal of getting a good result,” concluded Germany’s number one.
Schalke have had a dismal season thus far and currently sit in 11th place with 33 points, 32 points adrift the leaders, Borussia Dortmund. Apart from the league, their season has been very good as they have reached the final of the German Cup and the last eight of the Champions League.