last 16 - match preview

Players can deal with the pressure, says Slomka

Schalke boss Mirko Slomka is looking forward to the club's first appearance in the last 16 of the Champions League against FC Porto on Tuesday (kick-off: 2045 CET) with confidence and great anticipation. "It's our 100th game in Europe and we are going for our 50th win. It can't get any better."

The strategy for the centenary game is as follows: "First, we are going out to win. Second, and even more important, we want to keep a clean sheet." No easy task, for the Portuguese side are on a roll. Last Friday they defended their advantage at the top of the table with a 3-0 win at Maritimo. With 19 matches gone Porto hold a ten-point lead over second-placed Benfica.

Slomka feels the visitors have a slight advantage over the Royal Blues on account of their "greater experience in Europe". But the Schalke boss believes his side do well precisely when they are under pressure. "Our home game against Chelsea in the group stage is a prime example", he said, recalling the 0-0 draw on Matchday 4, when Schalke dominated but simply neglected to score. "In the Bundesliga we also tend to perform well against sides from the top third."

According to Slomka his side's main advantage over the 2004 Champions League winners is their physical presence. "We can wear down technically gifted teams such as FC Porto. But we have to take our chances when we get them", he added. "This is all the more important as experience shows that chances are few and far between in the Champions League compared with the Bundesliga."

On the other hand, Slomka says his team must stay solid at the back, particularly in view of Porto's three-pronged strike force. "The two strikers Ricardo Quaresma and Lisandro Lopez plus Lucho Gonzalez in the hole behind them are a constant threat."

"Lopez is a similar kind of player to David Villa. Both love to do crazy things on the pitch", said Slomka, comparing the Portuguese league's most prolific striker, who has scored five times in his last four outings for the Dragons, with Valencia's Spain international. Villa got the only goal of the game when Valencia won 1-0 in Schalke. "Lucho Gonzalez, however, is more like Michael Ballack", the Schalke coach continued. "He's the leader of the team and orchestrates the play."

Slomka expects Porto to play a waiting game. "We can't afford to get sucked in and neglect our defensive work. That would play into their hands because they are outstanding on the break."

The Schalke boss has almost a full complement of players to choose from. Zlatan Bajramovic, Christian Pander and Markus Heppke are the only players missing, whereas Jermaine Jones, who missed the Wolfsburg game through suspension, returns to the squad. "Jones is a genuine ballwinner. He will do our game good."