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Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" is heading to Manchester hoping to produce a miracle and prove that the "Man Utd" fans who are already expecting to see football in the final are greatly mistaken.
UEFA Champions League. Semi-final match:
"Man Utd" - Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke"
Date: Wednesday, 2011.05.04, 21.45 Lithuanian time
Location: "Old Trafford" stadium (75,000 seats), Manchester, England
Referee:
TV broadcast: TV6, "Viasat Sport Baltic" (live)
First leg score: "Schalke" - "Man Utd" 0-2
This season, the Manchester team has only conceded three goals in the Champions League - the best result among all clubs. Knowing that the "Schalke" team will have to score at least two goals, and having lost their last three official matches with a total score of 1-7, the winner of this tie seems clear.
Fate also does not send positive signs - due to visa problems, the "Schalke" players had to spend several hours longer than planned at the airport.
Realizing the advantage they have and probably eagerly looking towards Sunday, when they will have to compete as leaders in a duel with London's "Chelsea" in the English championship, 'Red Devils' coach Sir Alex Ferguson promised to give less playing time to those who play less regularly.
"We have a difficult week ahead. On Wednesday - the semifinals in Europe, and then ...," the specialist said. "Certainly, there will be changes in the lineup. Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Darren Fletcher, recovering from an injury, will have some time to play. We need them, but I will leave more experienced players in defense.
Now we are in a position that at the beginning of the season would have been a dream: the semifinals, with a two-goal advantage in the second leg, and an upcoming match in the English championship in a better situation for us. However, hard work awaits us - the drama is not over yet.
At the same time, "Schalke" led by Ralf Rangnick hoped for a miracle: "We need to be well organized and take advantage of the opportunities we will have. Even if there are two minutes left, we cannot forget what "Man Utd" did in the 1999 final when they managed to equalize the score during added time and win. Everything can change very quickly - you never know how it will turn out."
Predicted starting lineups:
"Man Utd": Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Park; Berbatov, Owen.
Fabio da Silva, who suffered a minor injury, will not play, and less frequently used players like Scholes, Carrick, and Owen will be included in the Manchester team.
"Schalke": Neuer; Uchida, Howedes, Metzelder, Escudero; Farfan, Papadopoulos, Kluge, Jurado; Raul, Edu.
In the "Schalke" lineup will be defender Benedikt Höwedes, without whom Gelsenkirchen's side struggled to stop opponents' attacks in the first leg of the semi-final. Perhaps striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has been out due to injury for two months, will also take the field.
