last 16 - match preview second leg
Slomka puts faith in unblemished back four in Porto
The position going into the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at FC Porto on Wednesday is clear. A draw in northern Portugal would be enough to see the Royal Blues through to the quarter-finals, as would a one-goal defeat, provided Schalke score at least once. Yet the Royal Blues know their 1-0 lead from the first leg is a very slender one.
"I expect Porto to come at us in the opening stages, in particular, as they attempt to restore parity. But they are a very experienced and patient side, so I'm assuming the game will be dominated by tactics", explained head coach Mirko Slomka. The Schalke boss has respect for the individual quality of the Portuguese outfit. "They have some really outstanding quality. On a good day players such as Quaresma can decide a game by themselves. We'll need to be wide awake."
Slomka understands how important it is for his defence to stay solid and keep a clean sheet for as long as possible. And he draws confidence from his side's previous defensive performances in European football's flagship competition. "With Manuel Neuer in goal and Rafinha, Marcelo Bordon, Mladen Krstajic and Heiko Westermann in a flat back four we have yet to concede a goal in the Champions League. We're extremely difficult to prise open there."
The Schalke boss was reluctant to reveal what changes he would make to the side that faced Bayern, if any, but he did say this: "Jermaine Jones will definitely return to the team." The Germany international is likely to partner Fabian Ernst in a holding role in front of the back four. Apart from this, the Schalke boss described his instructions to his team as follows: "We want to send out a side that has experience and can hold its own for 90 minutes - and also pose a threat in front of goal. Though Porto are very strong at home, they have not won any of their games in the current Champions League campaign by three or four-nil. For our part we have yet to concede three goals in a game. So it would put us in a great position were we to score.
"To do so, we need to stay calm and composed, we can't afford to panic or show nerves. We'll also have to pierce their defence regularly, pose a constant threat on the break and attempt to move the ball forward in controlled fashion", added Slomka. "It's vital we give Porto the feeling we can score every time we attack."
The Royal Blues have taken 20 players to Porto. Missing from the squad are Albert Streit (gastroenteritis), Sören Larsen, Christian Pander, Mathias Abel, Markus Heppke (all rehab) and Zlatan Bajramovic (toe).
