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Manchester United travel to Germany this evening to take on Schalke 04 in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are favourites to progress over the two games, but they come up against a Schalke side that has already knocked out Valencia and Champions League holders Inter Milan.
They are a more than capable of causing an upset.
Looking at Manchester United in more detail first though, they will be going into this game in good spirits after a 1-0 win over Everton saw them go six points clear at the top of the Premier League.
They are widely expected to hold off the challenge of Chelsea and secure the league title over the coming weeks, but they would love to combine this with their first Champions League success since the famous 1999 campaign.
The favourites tag will add pressure to Manchester United, but this is nothing new for them. They often go into games expecting to win and know how to approach the game.
As much as a draw would be a decent result, they will be going out to secure the win. Their style of play suits no other way of playing. Yes, they can be cautious at times, but they will be fully aware of the importance of an away goal.
With regards to Schalke, they have had an extremely bizarre season. Sitting 10th in Bundesliga, they have surprised everyone with their Champions League campaign and they will be determined for it to continue after the two games with Manchester United.
They will know how crucial picking up a result tonight is though. They have home advantage and you would think that they need to go into the second-leg with victory under their belts if they are to have a chance.
Referring to the team news for this one, Dimitar Berbatov will miss the game for Manchester United, but there are no other injury concerns for the visitors. Nemanja Vidic and Park Ji-Sung – who were rested at the weekend – are likely to return.
As for Schalke, they will be relying heavily on the leading Champions League score of all-time – Raul. The Spaniard has scored an impressive 71 goals in the competition and would love to play his part as Schalke pull off another upset to reach the final at Wembley.
Overall, there is no doubt that United are favourites, but the German outfit will revel in the underdog tag. Their best chance of progressing to the final is to secure victory on home soil, so tonight’s match should be an extremely fascinating encounter.
