United vs Schalke Champions League First Leg Preview

Introduction

Manchester United embark on a series of four fixtures that could ultimately decide the success of their season over the next couple of weeks. The first of those comes up tomorrow at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen as Schalke 04 host the Reds in the Champions League Semi Final First Leg. United will be boosted by the revitalising three points gained on Saturday against Everton which puts them within touching distance of a record 19th league championship. Apart from Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletcher, Sir Alex Ferguson accompanied a full strength squad as they departed for Germany from Manchester airport this morning. To have such a luxury at this stage of the season will be heartening and a comfort that the busy schedule over the next couple of weeks can be navigated successfully.

The Opposition

Schalke was founded in 1904 with their glory years being contained between 1934-42. Incredibly they did not lose a single league match between 1935 and 1939. The last few seasons have seen several managers come and go. In July 2009, Felix Magath was appointed but was relieved of his duties in March this year with Ralf Rangnick taking over and promptly presiding over their historic demolition of Inter Milan in the quarter finals.

This season has been disappointing for the Royal Blues as they sit 10th in the Bundesliga with a record of 11 wins from their 31 games. Their home record reads as 7 wins and 6 defeats and overall they have scored just 35 league goals whilst conceding the same amount.

It has been a different story in the Champions League with just a sole defeat on matchday one against Lyon being followed by a fine record of 7 wins and 2 draws. This culminated in their success against holders Inter whom they defeated 5-2 in the San Siro before closing out the tie on their home turf.

Schalke's leading scorer is Spanish legend Raúl who graced the shirt of Real Madrid for 16 years before  his transfer to Germany last summer. Once described by Sir Alex as the greatest player in the world, it has not taken him long to become an iconic figure at the Veltins-Arena. He is the Champions League record scorer with 71 yet fails to get the recognition that his more high profile peers attracted. He is the club's leading scorer this season with 18.

Schalke are clearly the weakest of the final four but must not be underestimated. In goal, they have arguably the best in the world in Manuel Neuer who looks likely to sign for Bayern Munich in the summer with the deal all but finalised. In defence they prefer to field the experienced Metzelder with young protegé Howedes who is seen as a star for the future. The latter is doubtful for the tie, however. Papadopoulos is expected to be selected to keep an eye on Wayne Rooney having successfully shackled Wesley Sneijder in the quarter finals. Jefferson Farfan, the Peruvian striker may well be employed on the right of a 5 man midfield and has 9 goals in all competitions this season. Edu is a possible starter up front alongside Raúl if Rangnick decides to attack.

Rangnick is seen in Germany as something of a Wenger/Professor type without the antics on the touchline. He played briefly for Southwick in the Sussex County league while on a year long placement from university back in his homeland and developed a love for English football during his stay in this country.

Tactics

As the home side do not possess a genuine winger they rely a great deal on their full backs providing the necessary width to their play. Frequently during their European campaign these have been Schmitz and Uchida. This means that they are vulnerable on the counter attack and is sure to be a weakness exploited by United's wide players in a style similar to the way the Reds have overcome Arsenal in recent years. The other area of known weakness for the Schalke defence is pace with the cumbersome Metzelder susceptible to the darting speed of Hernández.

I would expect Rangnick to be happy with a goalless draw on Tuesday night and then allow his team to take their chances at Old Trafford. I would not be surprised to see a defensive line up with just Raúl up front but even he will drop back into a deep role to assist his midfield. They will not want United to dominate in the centre in the way they did against Chelsea in the last round so the veteran Spaniard may well look to press Carrick if the Englishman looks to be getting too much time. United should be able to play a reasonably high line as space in behind the defence should not be too much of a worry.

Another big area that United will look to quell is the noise levels of the home crowd. An attendance of around 60,000 is expected and they will start the evening in full voice. If the away side can grasp control of the game then this will diminish and there is no way better than to score a vital away goal. With the likes of Rooney, Hernández, Valencia, Nani, and others all at the manager's disposal either starting or from the bench then that much heralded advantage must have a great chance of coming to fruition.

United

After one of the most difficult teams to predict on Saturday, I would be surprised if I do not have at least 8 or 9 correct in my guess above. The back five is our first choice line up and the only possible changes would if Ferdinand did come through Saturday successfully or if the manager decides throwing Rafael back into the fray is too big a risk.

The remainder of the side were the ones chosen against Chelsea so I see no need to change these in any way. Nani may be a touch unlucky not to get the right wing slot ahead of Valencia but away from home, the Ecuadorian's defensive capabilities just shade it for me. The full backs will once more be vital from an attacking point of view. With Ji Sung Park being more of a "defensive" wide man then I would expect Evra to support him as much as possible and often be the one most advanced. On the other side Rafael must be disciplined when in defensive areas but still offer runs on the overlap for Valencia. As mentioned previously, counter attacks could be prevalent for United tomorrow so look for Carrick and Rooney to spread the ball wide whenever possible in order to get behind Schalke's progressive full backs. Hernández up front will look to attach himself onto Metzelder and his movement and pace should cause the Germans no end of problems. There may be many instances of the Mexican being flagged offside as he looks to surge in behind but if the timing of just one run is correct then he will not be caught. 

Score Prediction

This will be Schalke's biggest game for many years so United must play on this and not give them any reason to settle into their stride. They will be nervous and with the expectation of a sizeable home crowd, it is possible they could wilt. However, this could well prove to be clutching at straws in the extreme seeing as they showed precious few nerves in the San Siro while dismantling Inter's campaign in the last round.

Looking at the two likely teams, you have to concede United will start as strong favourites but their superiority may only manifest itself in the second leg at Old Trafford. I would expect Schalke to be stubborn, fairly defensive and look to keep the Reds from not scoring rather than worry about themselves in front of goal. For that reason I will go for a tight 0-1 result in Germany with a second half goal by Rooney. If this is the case then the second leg should prove to be something of a formality ahead of a meeting with Barcelona or Madrid at Wembley in the final at the end of May.

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