13.04. (Wed) 20:45 Schalke 04 - Inter

DID YOU KNOW?

* Schalke have won their last four Champions League matches at the Veltins Arena.

* The Konigsblauen have never lost a European tie after winning the first leg on the road.

* Raul scored his 70th goal of the Champions League in the first leg at San Siro.

* Schalke have scored nine goals in their last three home matches in the competition.

* Jefferson Farfan will miss the second leg due to suspension.

* Inter have conceded eight goals in their last three Champions League matches.

* The Beneamata have one win in four away matches in the tournament (W1, D1, L2).

* Walter Samuel was included in Leonardo's 22-man squad after missing the last five months with a knee injury.

* The Nerazzurri have picked up five wins in their last 16 matches away to German teams (W5, D7, L4).

* Samuel Eto'o is tied with Mario Gomez and Lionel Messi for the most goals in this season's competition (8).

LAST MEETING

April 5, 2011: Inter 2-5 Schalke

Schalke stunned the defending champions with a five-goal salvo at San Siro. Inter took an early lead through Dejan Stankovic's wonder goal from the halfway line, but Joel Matip levelled matters in the 17th minute.

The Nerazzurri went in front once more thanks to a goal by Diego Milito but again the hosts were pegged back when Edu scored five minutes before the half-time interval.

It was all Schalke in the second half as Raul gave the visitors their first lead of the game before Andrea Ranocchia's own goal made it 4-2. Edu then scored his second of the evening to complete the rout.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Schalke: Neuer; Uchida, Howedes, Matip, Sarpei; Jurado, Papadopoulos, Draxler, Baumjohann; Raul, Edu

Inter: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Ranocchia, Lucio, Zanetti; Thiago Motta, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Sneijder; Milito, Eto'o

Prediction

Inter showed a great deal of character to come from behind and beat Bayern Munich in the last 16 but overturning a 5-2 deficit against Schalke at the Veltins Arena will be an extremely tough ask.

The Germans ran rampant and wild at San Siro and with the holders conceding 19 goals already in the tournament a clean sheet is likely out of the question. Leonardo's men will not go gently into the Gelsenkirchen night but this hole is just too deep to dig themselves out of.

Schalke 04 1-3 Inter Milan

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13.04. (Wed) 20:45 Tottenham Hot. - Real

DID YOU KNOW?

* Tottenham Hostpur's 4-0 defeat in the first-leg means that they must aim to do what only three clubs have ever managed in European club competitions, and overturn a four-goal, first-leg deficit. The last club to manage it ironically were Real Madrid, who overcame a 5-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach in the third round of the Uefa Cup in 1985, winning the second-leg 4-0.

* In the Champions League Deportivo La Coruna hold the record for the biggest second-leg comeback. In 2004 they lost 4-1 to Milan at San Siro before winning 4-0 at home to progress.

* However, Spurs have a good record at White Hart Lane having won four of their five home games in the Champions League this season, scoring 14 goals along the way and conceding just two.

* Spurs will be without suspended striker Peter Crouch whose sending off in the first-leg was the fastest in the competition’s history for two yellow cards, beating the previous record held by Geri Cipi of Maribor.

* Indeed, Crouch’s dismissal means that Tottenham have collected more red cards (three) in the Champions League this season than any other side. Joining Crouch in seeing red are Rafael van der Vaart (against Twente) and Heurelho Gomes (against Inter).

* Should Real Madrid beat Spurs and make it into the last four, then it will be their first appearance in the semi-finals of the competition since 2002-03.

* Cristiano Ronaldo hit his 39th goal of the season at the weekend against Athletic Bilbao and a goal against Tottenham will make it 40 for the former Manchester United winger.

* Mesut Ozil is the competition’s top assist provider with six, ahead of Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon with five and Benfica’s Carlos Martins, who also has five.

* Madrid have five players who are in danger of missing the potential first-leg semi-final clash with Barcelona. Ricardo Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria all are just one yellow card away from a suspension.

* Emmanuel Adebayor’s two goals in the first-leg mean that he has now scored 10 goals in 13 games in all competitions against Tottenham.

LAST MEETING

April 6, 2011: Real Madrid 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The first-leg of this quarter-final tie at the Bernabeu was a one-sided affair. A fifth minute goal from Emmanuel Adebayor put Madrid in front, and after Peter Crouch was sent off 10 minutes later there was only going to be one winner.

The hosts had to wait until the second-half before Adebayor grabbed his second of the night, swiftly followed by a thunderbolt from Angel Di Maria. Cristiano Ronaldo then rounded off the rout late on, leaving Spurs with a mountain to climb in the second-leg.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Tottenham: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Van der Vaart, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; Pavlyuchenko, Defoe.

Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Albiol, Carvalho, Marcelo; Alonso, Diarra, Di Maria; Ozil, Granero; Adebayor.

Prediction

Real Madrid have done the job and should go through to the semi-finals with ease. Winning at White Hart Lane is not going to be easy for the Whites, though, as Spurs will look to bow out in style. A draw seems to be a likely outcome especially as Madrid are likely to bench some of their regular first-team players.

Tottenham 1-1 Real Madrid

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