FC Schalke 04

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Intersting match, hope that schalke will win and reach the groups stage.
they have problems on defense i think , rafinha is on the olympics , krastic injured and out for few months .. thats the problem .. wish them all the luck and all the best . i want to see 3 german teams on the champions leauge group stages .

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Schalke Face Up To Tough Atleti Challenge

Schalke’s management and players have been giving their reaction to the draw for the qualification round of the Champions League which has seen the Königsblauen paired with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

The draw couldn’t really have been any tougher for Schalke after they drew Atletico Madrid. The Bundesliga side have a real fight on their hands to reach the group stage of this season’s competition.

Trainer Fred Rutten in his first season with the Königsblauen admitted the tie was a tough one, but looked to get past the tie.

"The draw could have gone better for us. Atletico Madrid are a good side that finished fourth in a very strong Spanish league last season" Rutten said.

"We’ll have to observe them are bit more and try to create a good position for ourselves in the first leg."

Club general manager Andreas Müller bemoaned the fact that they had drawn such tough opponents, but also believed in eventual victory. "It’s a hammer blow- the most difficult opponents for us. But I’m sure that Madrid would also have wished for a different opponent.

"It’s the sort of pairing you’d expect to see at the quarter final stage. We want to get through this tie at any cost and make it to the group stage so we’ll have to beat these opponents. I don’t see a favourite, so the chances of getting through are 50:50."

Captain Marcelo Bordon looked to the experience of last season when Schalke reached the quarter final to inspire those around him.

"There are no easy games in the qualification round for the Champions League, but we proved last year that we can perform at the highest level.

"For us the game against Atletico is a super game and will a high-point for our fans at the start of the season" he concluded

Goal.com - Schalke - Schalke Face Up To Tough Atleti Challenge

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Aachen - Schalke 0-4 All Goals & Highlights Friendly Match

YouTube - Aachen - Schalke 0-4 All Goals & Highlights Friendly Match

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Bundesliga Season Preview: Schalke

With the start of a very exciting Bundesliga season upon us, Goal.com previews two teams daily as a part of our build-up. Today, we present Schalke 04...

With the Bundesliga kickoff just over two weeks away, a poll of all 18 Bundesliga managers revealed a unanimous opinion that Bayern Munich will take their second consecutive title. Indeed, Bayern is always a threat to win the Bundesliga. However, the coming season may well see Schalke lift their first Bundesliga trophy since 1958. After last year’s Bundesliga results—Schalke finished 3rd, 12 points behind Bayern and 2 behind Werder Bremen—it would at first appear difficult to place Schalke as favorites. However, Schalke will surely benefit from a number of advantages that have been made apparent in recent months.

First off, Bayern are back in the Champions’ League and, having won the Bundesliga last year, there is less pressure upon them to assert domestic dominance. Bayern will want to make a significant impact in Europe and may sacrifice league performance for such glory. Additionally, the fact that Schalke are scheduled to face rivals Bremen in just the second week of the season means that, while they will be without right-back Rafinha (Olympics), they will face a Bremen team without talismanic playmaker Diego (Olympics) and centre-back Per Mertesacker (injury).

More importantly, Schalke have benefited from a very successful transfer campaign. Having received an estimated €40 million windfall by reaching last year’s Champions’ League quarter-finals, Schalke were able to invest in striker Jefferson Farfan and defensive midfielder Orlando Engelaar. The presence of Farfan will surely ease the burden on the shoulders of striker Kevin Kuranyi, whose form has often determined his team’s success. Indeed, Schalke’s current striking contingent (aside from Kuranyi) has produced just 59 goals in a combined 346 appearances, whereas Kuranyi has produced 40 goals in just 96 appearances. Kuranyi can expect help from Farfan, who scored 71 goals in 162 appearances for PSV Eindhoven. Engelaar, on the other hand, almost comes as a surplus: Schalke already have defensive midfielders Jermaine Jones and Fabian Ernst. However, Ernst is capable of playing on the right flank, leaving room for Engelaar to accompany Jones in a central role. Engelaar’s imposing size (1.98 metres) will be put to great use on set plays, and his knack for feeding the ball to strikers from a deep position will be a great asset for Schalke, who finished 6th in goals scored during last year’s Bundesliga campaign.

Engelaar wasn’t Schalke’s only signing from FC Twente: joining him will be Fred Rutten, perhaps this year’s most important signing for the Gelsenkirchen side. With him, Rutten brings a possession-based attacking game that is uncommon in the Bundesliga. At his disposal is a great deal of young talent that still has room for growth, including Rafinha (23), Farfan (23), defenders Heiko Westermann and Christian Pander (both 24), left-winger Ivan Rakitic (20), and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (22). If the Schalke squad is able to adopt the philosophies that brought success to Rutten’s Twente, we may see the Bundesliga title lifted in Gelsenkirchen for the first time in 50 years. An exciting campaign lies ahead of us!

Quick Facts

Coach: Fred Rutten
Stadium: Veltins-Arena (61,482)
2007/08 Position: 3rd
2007/08 Record: P-34 W-18 D-10 L-6 F-55 A-32 P-64
Players In: Orlando Engelaar (Twente), Jefferson Farfan (PSV Eindhoven)
Players Out: Zlatan Bajramovic (Frankfurt), Mimoun Azaouagh (Bochum), Soren Larsen (Toulouse)
Possible Line-Up: Neuer-Rafinha, Bordon, Westermann, Pander-Ernst, Jones, Engelaar-Farfan, Kuranyi, Rakitic

Prognosis:

Schalke are sure to step up their domestic performance this year. Rutten was well loved in Enschede for his work at FC Twente, and he will surely bring success to Gelsenkirchen. That said, 50 years is a very long time to go without winning a Bundesliga title, and Schalke’s nerve may expire late in the season. Recalling their last-minute loss of the title in 2001, it’s too difficult to predict a first-place finish for Schalke.

Prediction: 2nd

Goal.com - Editorial - Bundesliga Season Preview: Schalke

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Schalke 04 - Spvgg Ketsch 5:0 (3:0)

Schalke easily won their last test ahead of the DFB Cup match against Homburg.

Gerald Asamoah (24, 29), Carlos Grossmüller (31), Levan Kenia (55) and Peter Lövenkrands (68) were on target for the "Royal Blues".

S04: Fährmann - Heppke, Westermann (46. Höwedes), Zambrano, Kobiashvili (46. Pander) - Ernst (46. Jones) - Grossmüller, Rakitic (46. Kenia) - Asamoah (46. Altintop), Kuranyi (46. Lövenkrands), Sanchez (59. Varela)

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Ze Roberto off to Brazil

Schalke striker Ze Roberto has asked to travel to his home country Brazil, due to private reasons.



Sporting director Andreas Müller and head coach Fred Rutten allowed the trip.

The Brazilian will be back in team training at the beginning of next week.

Bundesliga - Die offizielle Webseite

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Bordon Pleased With Agüero Absence

Marcelo Bordon is pleased that Sergio Agüero will not be playing in the first leg of the Champions League qualifer for Atlético de Madrid against his Schalke 04 side.

The Brazilian defender was full of praise for los Colchoneros, but is confident that the Bundesliga outfit will progress to the group stages of the competition.

While Agüero may be at the Olympic Games, Atleti have ensured that they are strong in other areas and Bordon has been impressed with the club's summer transfer activity.

"They are building a very strong team and have some extraordinary players. [Tomas] Ujfalusi, [John] Heitinga and [Gregory] Coupét are all good signings," the Schalke captain told Kicker.

"Up front they have Agüero, who is not very tall, but he is robust and very strong as well being very direct in and around the area. It is not bad news for us that he is not playing in the first leg."

Last season, Schalke gained experience against Spanish league opposition and Bordon is certain that those games will give his side a boost.

"We qualified ahead of Valencia wand we played our best game in Barcelona despite going out. People did not believe that we could reach the quarter finals, but I think with a bit more luck we could have made the semis," he continued.

"Our opponents, including Atlético, respect us more now."

Goal.com - Atletico Madrid - Bordon Pleased With Agüero Absence

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CL Preview: Schalke - Atlético Madrid

What: Champions League Qualifying Third Round
Who: Schalke 04 vs Atlético de Madrid
When: Wednesday 13 August, 19.45
Where: Veltins-Arena, Germany

As nicknames go it’s one that Atlético Madrid would probably do anything to rid themselves of, but the tag of Pupas - the jinxed one - has just become all to appropriate for the club. When something can go wrong it usually does go wrong as far as Los Rojiblancos are concerned. In fact, when something goes right it more often than not goes wrong!

Take last season for example. Like many before it was touted as ‘the year’ for the team to finally pull their socks up and achieve something. Unlike many before, they actually did achieve something, finishing in 4th place and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in over a decade. A feat which was incredibly overdue, but one which could now be forgotten about incredibly soon too.

For when the teams were drawn for qualification fate was to yet again deal Atlético Madrid a tricky card, this time in the form of last year's quarter-finalists Schalke 04.

Purple Patch

As top 4 finishers in the Bundesliga for the past four seasons, Schalke are one of the strongest teams in the draw and missed out on automatic qualification last season by just two points. With a slight advantage in terms of recent Champions League experience thrown in as well the German side will no doubt be confident come Wednesday night.

Indeed, Schalke have been enjoying a bit of a purple patch recently and whilst they may not have as many household names in the squad as their opponents there is no doubting the talent they do boast. From the young German defender, Heiko Westermann, to Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto and new signing Jefferson Farfan, they are a team which possesses quality all over the pitch.

It is likely that the strength in the final third will be that which Atlético fear most though. For while the Spaniards do enjoy such attacking talents as Diego Forlan (pictured), Simao and Maxi Rodriguez, it is no secret that in the past the defence has been their Achilles heel.

While this may have been bolstered over the summer with the acquisitions of John Heitanga and Tomas Ujfalusi, it has not been completely fixed, as was illustrated in some lacklustre pre-season defending.

Schalke on the other hand have looked solid during their pre-season campaign and finished on a fine note by beating FC Homburg 3-0 in the German Cup on Saturday.

Concerns

The only cause for concern for coach Fred Rutten will be that he is likely to be missing Manuel Neuer, Mladen Krstajic and Rafinha for the first leg - the latter of whom is at the Olympics and the other two due to injuries.

Also at the Olympics is Atlético’s young Argentine wonderkid Sergio Aguero. Whilst his absence will undoubtedly be a loss to the Spanish side though they will be hopeful that new signing Florent Sinama-Pongolle can fill his boots in Germany. So far the Frenchman has looked impressive in pre-season and should partner Diego Forlan upfront.

For the Germans it seems likely that they too will play a new signing upfront, in the shape of Jefferson Farfan. Along with Orlando Engelaar they have been the only players brought into the team over the summer and Rutten will be hoping that they can add a cutting edge to an otherwise solid team.

With no head to head history to speak of it is possible that the match in Germany could well be a cagey affair. If sparks are to fly then they will more than likely come from the aforementioned Farfan or either wing of the Atlético Madrid attack, where Simao and Maxi Rodriguez will be hoping to penetrate a reshuffled Schalke defence.

Excited

Speaking before the match Atlético Madrid defender Luis Perea said the side are prepared for a tough match. “We have been waiting for this moment for years and we are all excited. We all know what we are going to be up against: a very difficult team. What we have seen and what we have heard tells us they are really hard to beat on their home ground and that they like to attack.”

As the home side it is expected that Schalke will indeed be the more attacking of the two sides but club general manager Andreas Müller doesn’t see a favourite, he said, “It’s a hammer blow- the most difficult opponents for us. But I’m sure that Madrid would also have wished for a different opponent.

We want to get through this tie at any cost and make it to the group stage so we’ll have to beat these opponents. I don’t see a favourite, so the chances of getting through are 50:50,” he concluded.


FORM GUIDE

Schalke have enjoyed a decent pre-season this year despite been beaten narrowly by Bayern Munich and Besiktas. They have been victorious against Rangers, Bahrain, Homburg and Aachen.

Atlético on the other hand have had a poor pre-season. They failed to win any of their four games on a tour of Mexico and have only picked things up recently, beating Alcala and Rayo Vallecano back in Spain.

Last Five Results

Schalke:

22nd July: Schalke 4 Bahrain 1
26th July: Besiktas 2 Schalke 1
27th July: Bayern Munich 1 Schalke 0
1st August: Aachen 0 Schalke 4
9th August: Homburg 0 Schalke 3

Atlético Madrid:

16th July: Cruz Azul 1 Atlético Madrid 0
19th July: UANL Tigres 2 Atlético Madrid 2
23rd July: Toluca 1 Atlético Madrid 1
2nd August: Alcala 0 Atlético Madrid 4
5th August: Atlético Madrid 4 Rayo Vallecano 2

TEAM NEWS

Schalke 04

The loss of Rafinha is undoubtedly the biggest blow to Fred Rutten but he will also be without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Mladen Krstajic for the first leg. Both players are likely to remain injured for the match which will mean Rutten will need to reshuffle his defensive line.

Consolation for the coach will come from the pre-season form of new signings Jefferson Farfan and Orlando Engelaar. The Peruvian is settling into the team well and is likely to start the match upfront alongside Gerald Asamoah. Engelaar on the other hand could well partner Fabian Ernst in central midfield to provide a strong backbone to the side.

Squad: TBA.

Possible Starting XI: Schober; Altintop, Bordon, Westermann, Kobiashvili; Engelaar, Jones, Ernst; Farfan, Kuranyi, Asamoah.

Atlético Madrid

Javier Aguirre will field nearly a full strength side in the Veltins-Arena on Wednesday with only Sergio Aguero missing due to Olympic commitments. The Mexican has decided to leave unsettled midfielder Maniche out of the squad and is likely to play new signing Paulo Assunção and Raul Garcia in the centre of the pitch.

The main decision for him though will be whether to start Leo Franco or Gregory Coupet in goal for the game. Both players have pre-season matches under their belts so it will be interesting to see which one Aguirre considers his first choice.

New signings John Heitanga and Tomas Ujfalusi should start their first competitive game together in defence, with Luis Perea and Antonio Lopez flanking them.

Squad: Leo Franco, Gregory Coupet, Luis Perea, Juan Valera, Tomas Ujfalusi, John Heitinga, Pablo Ibáñez, Antonio López, Mariano Pernía, Maxi Rodríguez, Luis García, Raúl García, Paulo Assunção, Ignacio Camacho, Miguel de las Cuevas, Cléber Santana, Simão Sabrosa, Diego Forlán, Florent Sinama-Pongolle

Possible Starting XI: Coupet; Perea, Heitinga, Ujfalusi, Lopez; Maxi, Raul Garcia, Paulo Assuncao, Simao; Forlan, Sinama-Pongolle.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Schalke 04

Whilst Schalke may have lacked a true flair player last season they have certainly amended things this summer by recruiting Peruvian international Jefferson Farfan from PSV Eindhoven. The pacey striker has been on the European scene for a while now and it is no surprise that he has finally been snapped up by a bigger team. His direct running, skilful feet and excellent turn of pace provided PSV with a cutting edge and so far he has looked impressive at Schalke. With a good pre-season behind him and a home crowd roaring him on Fred Rutten will be hoping it is a night to remember for his new signing, and one to forget for the Atlético defence.

Atlético Madrid

With the absence of Sergio Aguero it seems as though the job of second striker will fall to new signing Florent Sinama-Pongolle in Germany. The young Frenchman has looked impressive in pre-season so far and capped things off by scoring his first goal for the club recently. After two seasons spent at Recreativo this move is a big leap up for the 23-year-old, but Javier Aguirre must have been encouraged by the way he has gelled with strike partner Diego Forlan. His best asset is without doubt his pace and Atlético will be hoping that he can use it effectively against a Schalke team missing possibly their quickest defender Rafinha.

PREDICTION

After been rightly labelled as the tie of the round it will no doubt be a high quality affair in the Veltins-Arena, but whether that means there will be goals is another matter. Schalke should be the more adventurous of the two sides with the home advantage but they will be fully aware that it is easier to lose the tie here than to win it. Expect a low scoring match but one which Atlético may just edge to take a slender lead back to Spain in a fortnight.

Goal.com - Champions League - CL Preview: Schalke - Atlético Madrid

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Bordon Fired Up For Atletico Clash

Most neutrals would agree that Schalke-Atletico is the most intriguing draw of the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, but for the teams involved, there will be little regard for spectacle.

"We have a cup final straight away which can decide the whole season and we have got to do whatever it takes to beat Atletico," boomed Bordon.

"There are no easy games in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League.

"But last season we showed what we're capable of in European football's flagship competition," he added.

The first-leg will take place in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, and could go a long way towards defining their respective campaigns, such is the level of expectation for this season by both clubs.

Goal.com - Schalke - Bordon Fired Up For Atletico Clash

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Rutten Warns Against Schalke Naivety

Schalke trainer has warned his side against not to lose focus tomorrow as they take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier.

The clash between the Königsblauen and Los Rojiblancos is arguably the tie of the round with the winners reaching the lucrative and prestigious group stages and the losers only having the consolation of Uefa Cup football and the loss of millions.

“Of course we have respect for them, but they also respect us” Rutten said on the eve of the match.

Not wanting to talk too much about the strengths and weaknesses of Atletico, he added: “We have to think solely about getting through. The Spaniards haven’t played a competitive match yet and are the away team, so maybe that will tip the balance in our favour.”

Rutten believes the game won’t be an open affair, with both teams fully aware of the importance attached to winning.

“We above all have to make sure we are not naïve in the home leg” the Schalke trainer explained, warning against taking unnecessary defensive risks. “But I think our team is mature enough to realise that.”

He also spoke of the role the fans inside the Veltins Arena could play in deciding the match.

“They can help us tomorrow and could get one or two percent more out of the team. The match may be decided on small details and in that respect the fans in the stadium can be an important factor.”

Goal.com - Schalke - Rutten Warns Against Schalke Naivety

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If they don't get a good result tonight, it's goodbye Champions League for them.

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Advantage Schalke As Pander Downs Atletico

Schalke 1-0 Atletico Madrid There is still all to play for after Schalke edged the first leg of this Champions League qualifier. The Bundesliga side really should have scored more, but take a 1-0 lead to the Vicente Calderon in two weeks thanks to a first half free kick from Christian Pander.

Schalke left back Christian Pander’s stunning free kick was the difference between these two sides at the Veltins Arena as Atletico and Schalke sought the golden ticket to the Champions League group stage.

Schalke deserved their win, but Atletico grew as the game progressed but just couldn’t find the invaluable away goal. To make matters worse they had full back Antonio Lopez sent off in the second half.

First Half

Back in the Champions League for the first time in 11 years, Atletico trainer Javier Aguirre handed debuts to Heitinga, Ujfalusi, Paulo Assuncao and Sinama Pongolle. Schalke trainer Fred Rutten selected both summer signings Jefferson Farfan and Orlando Engelaar.

The home side kicked-off and were quickly into their stride. It took just a minute for Schalke to create a glorious chance to open the scoring inside the Veltins Arena, but Atletico keeper Leo Franco, a surprise inclusion in place of summer signing Gregory Coupet, pulled off a superb save.

Jermaine Jones whipped in a cross from the right which missed Kevin Kuranyi in the centre, but the ball deflected out to Ivan Rakitic, who fired in a vicious goal-bound shot that was superbly saved by Leo Franco in the Atleti goal.

The resulting corner also caused some difficulties, but Leo Franco again was on hand to clear the danger. The German side had definitely settled the better of the twos teams with the Spanish midfield struggling to get a grip on the game in the opening minutes.

On seven minutes Peruvian Jefferson Farfan peeled superbly off the shoulder of Madrid defender Ujfalusi and was picked out with an excellent pass from Rakitic. The forward rounded the out rushing Leo Franco, but forced wide, his ball into the centre failed to find Kevin Kuranyi.

Atletico recovered a little after that and enjoyed a little more possession, but their new defence looked anything but assured. With 14 minutes on the clock a Christian Pander cross wasn’t cleared and Farfan was once again the thorn in Atletico’s side and he was unlucky not to get on the end of the lose ball.

The Königsblauen should have taken the lead on 20 minutes, but once again let their opponents off the hook. A Farfan cross from the right saw Rakitic diving in for the header that had goal written all over it, only for the Croatian to miss the ball by a hair’s breadth. Farfan’s influence down the right was growing and causing the visiting team all sorts of problems.

A reckless challenge from Antonio Lopez then provided Schalke with the opportunity to take the lead, which they duly did. Ernst was tackled unfairly 22 meters from goal and as well as a yellow card for Lopez, the away side were punished further when Pander curled in a wondrous free-kick which left Leo Franco helpless.

The goal was well deserved based on the first half performance thus far, but Atletico then had two moments of their own before the half-time break. On 41 minutes Maxi Rodriguez let fly with a free kick that caused Mathias Schober problems, before Sinama-Pongolle screwed a shot narrowly wide from a tight angle.

Second Half

Schalke seemed to come out at the start of the second half a little dopily and Atletico took advantage. Diego Forlan and Sinama-Pongolle combined for the first time in the match and the Frenchman found himself through on goal.

His shot however was adequately saved by the legs of Schober in the Schalke goal. The pressure from Atletico was mounting, but Schalke launched a counter attack of their own on 53 minutes with Kuranyi weighting a superb through ball to Jermaine Jones. Luis Perea however was on hand to clear the danger.

Schalke then created another good chance just past the hour mark when a Pander cross again caused problems. A poor clearance was headed back into the area by Rakitic and it took a good clearing header from Heitinga to deny Kuranyi. Four minutes later and Rakitic fired a free kick just past the post.

Atleti coach Aguirre sent on former Liverpool man Luis Garcia and was very nearly instantly rewarded with a goal. Finding himself free in front of goal he screwed his shot narrowly wide of the goal. However, three minutes later Atletico’s momentum was checked with the sending off of their left back Antonio Lopez for a second bookable offence.

The only other chance of note in the second half saw Heiko Westermann miss after Leo Franco had punched out poorly. Despite a relatively poor performance, Atletico will still consider themselves very much in this contest with the second half to come in a fortnight’s time.

Goals:

1-0 Pander (30)

Yellow cards:

Ernst (11), Farfan (42), Jones (89) / Raul Garcia (19), Antonio Lopez (29), Heitinga (35), Maxi Rodriguez (82), Pernia (88), Luis Garcia (91)

Red Cards:

Antonio Lopez (75)

Schalke: Schober, Westermann, Höwedes, Bordon, Pander, Ernst, Jones, Engelaar, Farfan (Altintop 71), Kuranyi, Rakitic (Asamoah 79)

Atletico Madrid: Leo Franco, Perea, Heitinga, Ujfalusi, Antonio Lopez, Paulo Assuncao, Maxi Rodriguez, Raul Garcia, Simao (Pernia 85), Forlan, Sinama-Pongolle (Luis Garcia 68)

Referee: Fröjdfeldt (SWE)

Attendance: 54, 142

Great Goal from Pander (Very important goal for schalke ) .
Good win for the s04 .. 0-0 or 1-1 in calderon will qualify Schalke to the group stages.

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Schalke 04 - Atletico Madrid [1-0] Pander goal

YouTube - Schalke 04 - Atletico Madrid [1-0] Pander goal

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Good game from Schalke.

They could have easily won this 2-0

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Rutten Enjoys Atletico Scalp

Schalke trainer Fred Rutten was left satisfied, yet a little frustrated after seeing his side take a narrow 1-0 lead in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Atletico Madrid at the Veltins Arena.

A first half free kick curled in by Christian Pander was all that separated the two sides as they sought entry into the Champions League group stage.

Schalke were the better side on the night and will be rueing the chances they missed as they take a slender one goal advantage to the Vicente Calderon Stadium in two weeks time.

Although they improved as the game progressed, Los Rojiblancos just couldn’t find a way through and were further disadvantaged by the sending off of full back Antonio Lopez in the second period.

“The result is not super, but we have given ourselves a good starting position” Rutten confessed after the final whistle.

“With a bit of luck we could have converted one or two of our other chances.”

Goal.com - Schalke - Rutten Enjoys Atletico Scalp