Schalke worked as hard as any other team to reach this stage of the Champions League, and their reward was an injury crisis and the pleasure of being drawn with Real Madrid. That ended with a 2-0 loss for the German side in the first leg of the round of 16, and they have a mountain to climb if they want to top the defending Champions League winners in Madrid.
Real Madrid vs. Schalke 04, Champions League 2015: Game time, TV schedule and team news
Real Madrid are hoping to polish off Schalke without too much more difficulty in the home leg of their Champions League tie.
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It's not as though Real have had everything be all roses and sunshine of late either. They're on the tail end of their own run of bad injury luck, and neither of their elite wide men have been quite their normal dominant selves of late. Cristiano Ronaldo has been visibly off form of late -- though he scored one goal and assisted Madrid's other in the first leg of this tie -- and Gareth Bale hasn't scored a goal since January. That's lead to too many losses and disappointing results of late, and Madrid won't be able to just coast their way through this leg like they might have once hoped that they could.
Key player - Eric Choupo-Moting (Schalke)
No matter where he starts along Schalke’s front line, Choupo-Moting will be vital to whatever Schalke manage to accomplish today. The Cameroonian forward is their leading scorer in the league -- though he’s struggled for consistent form in the Champions League -- and his skill on the ball can play bloody havoc on Madrid’s back line. If Los Merengues give him too much space to work with, they’ll regret it terribly.
Key Matchup - Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) vs. Max Meyer (Schalke)
With Julian Draxler out, Meyer will play a key role in driving Schalke’s attack. He has a real opportunity to succeed if he can find a way to isolate himself on Kroos, as the German international has been looking exhausted and may not be able to keep up with Meyer’s pace and exuberance through the middle. If Meyer can take advantage of that, he has the ability and skill to make life difficult for Madrid’s defense.
Real Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: James Rodriguez (toe), Sergio Ramos (hamstring) In doubt: None
Schalke 04 injuries and suspensions
Out: Kevin-Prince Boateng (suspension), Julian Draxler (hamstring), Ralf Fahrmann (knee), Fabian Giefer (groin), Jan Kirchoff (foot), Chinedu Obasi (foot), Jefferson Farfan (knee) In doubt: Dennis Aogo (back)
Poor Schalke are closer to running an injury ward than a football club right now. Their top two keepers and four key players are all out with various injuries right now, plus Farfan, who has been out all season. Madrid are starting to get healthy again with Luka Modric and Sami Khedira available again, but the continued absence of Ramos leaves the defense thin. The loss of James would hurt more, but Isco's recent fantastic form leaves them in good shape.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 3:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet regional networks (Canada), ITV 1 (U.K.), TVE La 1 (Spain), Sky Sport 1/HD, Sky Sport 2/HD (Germany)
Online: Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.), Sky GO Deutschland (Germany)
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