A little less than year ago, Schalke 04 and Real Madrid met in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Things wen’t horribly wrong for the Germans as they lost 6-1, on their way to a 9-2 aggregate defeat. Now, they’ll get another shot at the defending champions, this time hoping they’ll have a better showing against the Spanish giants.
Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid, Champions League 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
Both teams will be forced to deal with injury problems in a rematch of one of last season’s Round of 16 ties.
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Madrid bounced back from a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Atlético Madrid over the weekend with a somewhat pedestrian 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruña. Madrid hit the woodwork several times, and while the scoreline probably didn’t tell the whole story, there were serious concerns about the team’s midfield. Schalke are coming off a 1-0 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Key Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Ronaldo’s recent form has been pretty poor by his high standards, so much so that he even suffered a few whistles and jeers over the weekend after a particularly poor free kick. Perhaps the two-match ban from a red card affected his rhythm, maybe he’s just in a funk. Whatever the case, Madrid need their best player to perform at a high level to help compensate for the midfield issues at the moment.
Key Matchup: Who controls the midfield
Real Madrid's midfield is a wreck thanks to injuries to three key players. The combination of Isco, Asier Illaramendi and Toni Kroos were unimpressive over the weekend, often playing far too close together and seemingly trying to occupy the same space. There's not a magic fix, and until Luka Modrić returns, Madrid are going to have to just make things work. If Schalke can find a way to take advantage of this issue, it could open up some opportunities for them.
Schalke 04 injuries and suspensions
Out: Julian Draxler (hamstring), Ralf Fährmann (knee), Jefferson Farfán (knee), Fabian Geifer (groin), Leon Goretzka (hamstring), Sead Kolašinac (knee), Chinedu Obasi (foot).
Real Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: Luka Modrić (hamstring), Sami Khedira (knee), James Rodriguez (foot), Fábio Coentrão (calf), Sergio Ramos (hamstring)
Both sides are decimated by injuries at the moment, with a combined 12 players listed as being unavailable for Wednesday's match. Real Madrid are hard hit in the midfield with Sami Khedira, Luka Modrić and James Rodriguez all unavailable.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet regional (Canada), Sky Sports 5 (U.K.), Sky Sports 1 (Germany), C+ Liga de Campeones (Spain)
Online: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go, Watch ESPN (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany)
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