WITH the tie poised at 1-1 after the first leg, the big talking point ahead of tonight's match is the fitness of Schalke frontman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and whether he'll recover from a knee injury.
If the Holland star doesn't make it, he'll be a massive loss for the Bundesliga men with his runs in behind causing Valencia all sorts of problems in the first leg. His goalscoring form hasn't been up to much – without one in the last 14 outings – but his presence would be missed.
Veteran Raul will be looking to produce another stellar performance, with his goal in the first leg and in the German Cup semi-final win over Bayern Munich breathing new life into an otherwise frustrating season for Schalke.
Lukas Schmitz will miss out after he saw red in Spain while Valencia have top goalscorer Aritz Aduriz and Juan Mata back from injury with Roberto Soldado returning fresh after a weekend rest.
I've been impressed with Valencia this season and as La Liga's third force they'll be expected to progress. It's a tricky tie but if Los Che can cut out the sloppy mistakes that plagued them last time out, they should grab the away goals needed to go through. You can get 3-1 at William Hills on them scoring exactly two.
It's also worth pointing out that Schalke have lost all three home games against Spanish opponents in the Champions League by a 1-0 scoreline and William Hills are offering 7-1 that the trend continues.
Recommendation
- Valencia to win – 19-10 at Betfred.
- Aritz Aduriz to score – 21-10 at bet365
