Schalke 04 vs Lyon preview - Schalke close in on qualification - 7M sport

Schalke 04 vs Lyon preview - Schalke close in on qualification



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Posted Wednesday, November 24, 2010 by PA

Schalke are aiming to secure their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League having put their house in order in the Bundesliga.

The Royal Blues have picked up seven points in their last three league matches to move away from immediate danger at the bottom, and victory over Lyon at the Arena AufSchalke could see them clinch their ticket for the last 16 of the Champions League with a match to spare.

For that to happen, Benfica would also have to lose against Hapoel Tel Aviv, otherwise the stage will be set for a decider in Portugal in a fortnight.

"We will do all we can to remain in the Champions League over the winter," said midfielder Peer Kluge on the Schalke website.

"This competition is an absolute highlight for every footballer."

Kluge knows it is not going to be easy against Les Gones, who reached the semi-finals last season.

"In my opinion, Lyon are the strongest opponents in our group," he said. "I would say they are just a bit better than Benfica.

"Lyon have shown what technical potential they have in recent years.

"They have a lot of experience in the Champions League and it is no coincidence that they were in the semi-finals last season.

"But that doesn't have to mean anything because we can still beat them."

According to Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas, Schalke have a good chance of doing just that.

He has complained about his side's packed calendar which, despite being profitable for them recently, puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to the encounter, and then again against Paris St Germain at the weekend.

"We have a complicated week and you can say that we are going to go into our games a bit weaker than our opponents," he said on his club's television channel.

"We play on Wednesday against Schalke, who played their last game on Saturday while we didn't finish our last Ligue 1 match until 2215 on Sunday night.

"Then we go to Paris on Sunday at the end of a week in which, unfortunately, PSG don't have a Europa League match."

Raul will lead the Schalke attack, buoyed by a hat-trick in the Bundesliga on Saturday and with the all-time top goalscoring record in European competitions within his sights.

AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi overtook him and Gerd Muller in the standings with his two goals on matchday four, but the Spaniard is just one goal behind.



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