Schalke vs Real Madrid: Champions League match preview

A look ahead to tonight's Champions League Round of 16 first-leg fixture at Veltins-Arena

(GETTY IMAGES)

The two teams met at the same stage of the Champions League last season with Real Madrid coming out on top in both legs. Madrid emphatically beat Schalke 6-1 in Germany and again dispatched their German opposition again, 3-1 in Spain, for a 9-2 aggregate scoreline.

Madrid are currently unbeaten in this year’s Champions League, winning all six of their group stage matches. The defending European champions are coming off a 2-0 victory against Deportivo in La Liga this past weekend whereas Schalke were beaten away at Frankfurt 1-0 in the Bundesliga.

LATEST SCORE: Schalke vs Real Madrid

Jan-Klass Huntelaar is in line for a starting berth up front and is currently Schalke’s leading scorer in the Champions League with three goals. Karim Benzema & Cristiano Ronaldo are joint top scores in the Champions League for Real this season with five goals.

KICK-OFF: Tonight, 7:45pm

PAST MEETINGS…

Schalke 1 (Huntelaar) Real Madrid 6 (Benzema 2 , Bale 2, Ronaldo 2) Champions League, February 2014

Real Madrid 3 (Ronaldo 2, Morata) , Champions League, March 2014

STATS…

Madrid have won only three of their 27 trips to Germany.

Schalke was one of three German teams Real Madrid beat en route to their Champions League triumph last season. (Dortmund & Bayern Munich are the other two German teams Madrid defeated).

Ronaldo is on a run of three games without a goal.

Schalke have only won two of their last 15 encounters against Spanish opposition.

Schalke's record vs Spanish teams in Europe: W7 D7 L11 (W5 D2 L5 at home)

Schalke have won ten of their last 21 European home games, with five draws and six defeats.

ODDS…

Schalke to win: 8.5

Real Madrid to win: 1.467

Draw: 4.8

TV: Live on Sky Sports 5 at 7:45pm, highlights: Sky Sports 5 at 11pm