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The duel between Milan's "Inter" and Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" will be a new copy of the 1997 UEFA Cup final, which ended with a victory for the Germans. The Italian club will try to take another step towards the title, which no one has managed to defend in the tournament's history yet, while "Schalke" would enjoy their first entry into the semifinals - so far, they have failed to pass the quarterfinal barrier twice.
Milan's "Inter" - Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" San Siro Stadium, Milan 21.45 Lithuanian time Referee: Martin Atkinson (England) Broadcast: TV6 (live)
Inter's Tuesday Champions League match against Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" will meet with a heavy mood - on Saturday, the Italian champions lost to their fierce rivals Milan in the "Derby della Madonnina".
This defeat means that "Inter" is now five points behind the leader and has significantly complicated its hopes of defending the "Scudetto" title.
"It's unpleasant to lose such a match, we are all disappointed," said Milan's defender Javier Zanetti. "But we need to look forward."
Things are not very cheerful in the German club either - "Schalke" is currently in 11th place in the national championship, despite finishing second last season, only behind the champions Bayern Munich. Their last match against "St Pauli" also ended bizarrely - "Schalke" led 2-0, but the match was halted after a pyrotechnic device hit the linesman.
Due to poor results, coach Felix Magath was recently dismissed from his duties, and he was replaced by Ralf Rangnick, who has never worked in the Champions League knockout rounds.
However, the failures on the national front did not prevent "Schalke" from eliminating Spain's Valencia with an overall score of 4-2 in the round of 16.
In this match, "Inter" will have to do without their main central defender Lucio, who is suspended. He will likely be replaced by the Colombian Ivan Cordoba, forming a defensive duo in the middle with Andrea Ranocchia.
Nevertheless, the Italians received good news - striker Diego Milito has recovered from an injury and will likely replace Giampaolo Pazzini, who cannot play in the Champions League.
There will be no midfielder Peer Kluge and forward Mario Gavranovic in the ranks of "Schalke". In Friday's match, defender Christoph Metzelder broke his nose, but he will likely play with a protective mask.
