Schalke confident against Valencia
The mood at FC Schalke 04 is a very confident one heading into the Champions League match up against FC Valencia on Wednesday.
Captain Marcelo Bordon and strikers Kevin Kuranyi and Halil Altintop underscored two days before the match that Schalke are intent on winning.
"We're going into Valencia to get three points", explained Schalke's top player. The 0-1 defeat in the first leg against the team currently in sixth place in the Spanish Primera Division has motivated the S04: "We are totally focussed on the match on Wednesday."
Kuranyi: Some presssure in Valencia is good
Kevin Kuranyi, who shined with two goals against Hannover 96 this past weekend, sees the Spanish team as unpredictable. "They beat us and lost twice against Rosenborg. That wasn't necessarily what you would have predicted", said Schalkes number 22.
The match is thus accompanied by a degree of pressure. The German international striker sees this as a positive for S04: "It was also a must win for us in Hannover. And the whole team stepped up and we won. We want to repeat that in the Champions League."
Jones is back
Midfielder Jermaine Jones has returned to training camp after nursing an ankle injury.
Head coach Mirko Slomka welcomed the news: "He has become a real leading player for us in past weeks."
Carlos Grossmüller was also back in training. Players definitely out for Schalke are Christian Pander (knee), Levan Kobiashvili (adductor), Mathias Abel (knee), Gustavo Varela (torn muscle) as well as Markus Heppke (shoulder).
Team line-ups:
Valencia: Canizares - Miguel, Albiol (Marchena), Helguera, Caneira - Albelda, Edu - Joaquin, Silva, Vicente - Villa
Schalke: Neuer - Rafinha, Bordon, Krstajic, Westermann - Jones (Bajramovic), Ernst - Özil, Rakitic - Halil Altintop, Kuranyi
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
__________________
|