Schalke somehow put their domestic woes behind them to earn a 1:1 draw at Mestalla, but the big question is can they do it again. Valencia, on the other hand, continued the rich vein of form on the travels and los Che are hoping to prove their potential in the Champions League as well and make it to the next round.

Schalke continue to struggle

Apart from a couple of stand out performances, Schalke have been pretty disappointing throughout the season and I cannot see them as favourites to go through, even after the good result in the first leg. The Germans were completely outplayed at Mestalla but managed to achieve a positive result thanks to Raul’s second-half striker, which put them in the driving seat before the return leg. However, Schalke continued to struggle on domestic stage as they picked up just one point from next three league games, with Cup win over Bayern doing little to ease the pressure on Felix Magath and his players. The fans have turned against the experienced coach as the team are desperately underperforming at the moment and the very poor atmosphere around the squad hardly creates a best setting for the most important game of the season. The players are really low on confidence at the moment, so I don’t think they have what it takes to stop high-flying Valencia.

Lukas Schmitz is suspended after picking up a red card at Mestalla, while Anthony Annan is ineligible, having already played for Rosenborg in the competition. Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Christian Pander, Tim Hoogland and Christoph Moritz remain sidelined.

Valencia impressive on the travels

Los Che missed a great chance to create an advantage in the first leg as they had taken the lead and continued to dominate their opponents until the end of the game, but the good thing is they will have another shot to secure their passage to the Champions league quarter-finals. Valencia are already famous as one of the best counterattacking sides in Europe, as witnessed by their latest performances on the travels, i.e. four wins and a draw in last five away games. This gives los Che reason for optimism before the trip to Germany, especially as they are superior side to Schalke in almost every aspect of the game, such as quality, experience, form and consistency, so I would be really surprised if Valencia fail to make it to the next round. With a couple of important players returning to the side after the spell on the sidelines, the Spaniards definitely look like favourites in this clash.

Marius Stankevicius is ineligible for this clash, while Miguel and Alejandro Dominguez are the only other players set to miss the game. Vicente and Albelda are in contention after recovering from injuries, while Joaquin, Mathieu and Soldado should return to the starting line-up after being rested against Mallorca.

Verdict

Schalke are all over the place at the moment and are missing several important players, so I don’t see how they will match high-flying Valencia. Los Che are real experts for winning on the travels and are in very good form at the moment, thus my advice is to back Valencia at level ball handicap.

Our prediction: Valencia to win with 0:0 Asian handicap

Odds: 2.08 (43/40)

Bookmaker: 188BET