Inter Milan | VS | Schalke 04 |
| Date/Time: | Apr 5, 2011, 20:45(CET) |
| Competition: | UEFA Champions League |
| Live/Repeat: | Live |
| Venue: | Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milano) |
Inter Milan vs Schalke 04 Match Preview
Defending Champions Inter Milan will play host to Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals first leg on Tuesday.Inter reached the last eight after eliminating Bayern Munich in a rematch of last year’s final, while Schalke advanced by eliminating Valencia 4-2 on aggregate.
This match will see the Champions League debut of Ralf Rangnick as Schalke coach. Rangnick takes over a team that is struggling in domestic play despite their Champions League run.
Inter will be without Brazilian defender Lucio due to suspension. Wesley Sneijder will feature in midfield for Inter, and spoke glowingly this week of Schalke striker Raul, who Sneijder played with at Real Madrid. “He was a true Madrid captain, and he helped me a lot when I had just arrived, like a real boss. It will be nice to see him again because I haven’t seen him since leaving Madrid.”
Raul will lead the Schalke attack, but forward Mario Gavranovic will not feature after suffering a season ending ankle injury. Germany defender Christoph Metzelder will play in a protective mask after breaking his nose in Bundesliga play against St. Pauli last Friday.
KEY PLAYERS
Ivan Cordoba (Inter Milan) – The Colombian center back will replace Lucio and will be a key figure as Inter look to avoid conceding an away goal.
Jose Manuel Jurado (Schalke 04) – The main creative force in the Schalke engine room has registered two goals and two assists in the tournament so far.
