Man Utd face Schalke

Schalke currently lie 10th in the Bundesliga and won’t even qualify for the Europa League unless their position improves but they have performed better than expected so far in this season’s Champions League. Schalke topped their group, finishing above Lyon and Benfica, and then knocked out Valencia in the round of 16.

Most recently, and most impressively, was Schalke’s quarter-final performance against reigning champions Inter Milan. A surprise 5-2 victory at the San Siro gave Schalke a huge advantage after the first leg and they followed this up with a 2-1 win at home to confirm their passage into the semi-finals with an impressive 7-3 victory over the Italians. The man to watch is Raul who, at 33, is still a main threat and scored two goals against Inter.

United’s progress so far has been equally as impressive. They qualified with no defeats and have conceded only three goals so far. In the round of 16 they defeated Marseille 2-1 and went on to knock Chelsea out in the quarter-finals 3-1 on aggregate.

However, Manchester United’s form has dropped slightly over the last few weeks, seeing them knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City and draw with Newcastle without scoring. However, their 260 minute goal drought was ended by Hernandez this weekend and, with 19 goals in all competitions so far this season, the striker could be the key to United’s success if he continues to be picked over out-of-form Berbatov.

So, on paper it promises to be thrilling, as most semi-finals usually are and The Yorker is tipping Manchester United to progress to the final. Schalke have shown they can overcome experience, as they dumped out Inter, but Manchester United’s solid defence and top strikers, who have steered the team to the top of the Premiership, should just see them through the two legs.

Look out for the preview of the other semi-final between Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as analysis of their other two meetings in a fortnight.

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