UEFA Champions League: http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 Vs Schalke 04 Preview (Part 1)
La Liga side Valencia will host Bundesliga outfit Schalke at the Mestalla Stadium on Tuesday night in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase. For Schalke pair http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Per-Mertesacker-c29680 and Raul, it will be a return to Spain after the duo left Real
Madrid last summer.
For Spanish legend http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gonzalez-c15099, it will be an emotional return. The 33-year old striker ended a 16-year love affair with Real Madrid after he understood that he might not be a part of new manager Jose Mourinho’s plans for the La Liga giants. With so much
success during his time at Madrid, Raul will be looking forward to a great return to his homeland as he looks to give his side an advantage ahead of the second leg.
Per Mertesacker joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in 2005 but struggled with injuries after winning the La Liga title in his first season with the club. After his contract expired, Mertesacker left for Schalke. He will also be looking to make a strong
comeback in Spain.
Lets’ take a look at the stats and figures of the two sides before they lock horns in a game that is bound to be a very close affair.
Valencia:
In the last month and a half, Valencia’s form has been phenomenal. In the last 9 games, Valencia have won 7 games and drawn two. They have moved into third place in the La Liga standings behind Real Madrid after taking 23 points from a potential 27.
The strike duo of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vicente-Guaita-c36003 a great opportunity
to prove his worth.
Unai Emery’s side lost to Villarreal 4-2 on aggregate in the King’s Cup quarterfinal last month, but since then Valencia have become one of the best defensive sides in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011. Meanwhile, Juan Mata, who won the World Cup with Spain last year is injured along
with influential midfielder David Albelda and centre-back Jeremy Mathieu.
January signing http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Albelda-c10417. Apart from that, Valencia have a full squad to choose from.
Last 5 Home Games: Won 2, Drawn 2, Lost 1.
Goals Time line
So far this season, Valencia has made a habit of scoring goals in the dying moments of the first half, and have scored 10 goals out of 38 in La Liga in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Defensively, Valencia have also conceded goals in the final minutes of both halves. The Valencia defence seems to lack in concentration and such lapses could turn out to be devastating in the game against Schalke.
Player to Watch out
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Aritz-Aduriz-c6516 and Roberto Soldado
The 30-year Aritz is Valencia’s top scorer this season and has scored nine goals. Both Aduriz and Soldado have scored 15 goals between them. Although Soldado has scored just six goals, he has three assists to his name and his link up play with Mata and Aduriz
has been a key point of Valencia’s brilliant performances in La Liga so far.
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