UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Schalke on their guard as Valencia visit

Having earned a fine away draw, FC Schalke 04 will be out to finish the job against Valencia CF, although their last UEFA Champions League knockout tie ended in elimination by Spanish opponents.

Background: Schalke v Valencia ©Getty Images

The last time FC Schalke 04 played at home in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds it resulted in a 1-0 defeat by FC Barcelona. As they square up to Valencia CF in the return leg of their round of 16 tie, the hosts will be hoping for a more positive outcome.

• The German side hold a slight edge after the first leg at Mestalla on 15 February, Raúl González (64) cancelling out Roberto Soldado's 17th-minute opener to earn Schalke a valuable away draw.

Previous meetings
• The sides' two previous games in Gelsenkirchen ended in a win apiece. Valencia triumphed 1-0 in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage with a second-half David Villa goal while ten years previously, in the UEFA Cup quarter-final second leg, Schalke's 2-0 home win sent them through.

• The full lineups for the 18 September 2007 game at Arena AufSchalke were:
Schalke: Neuer, Westermann, Bordon, Rafinha (Grossmüller 73), Pander, Ernst, Rakitić, Jones, Asamoah (Özil 61), Halil Altıntop (Lovenkrands 73), Kuranyi.
Valencia: Cañizares, Albiol, Marchena, Helguera, Miguel, Moretti, Albelda, Silva, Villa (Sunny 90), Morientes (Arizmendi 80), Angulo (Joaquín 75).

• The 2007 win is Valencia's only victory in ten visits to Germany; their other nine games have produced seven defeats and two draws. A 7-0 reverse at Karlsruher SC in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup second round remains Valencia's heaviest defeat in UEFA competition.

• Valencia were beaten by FC Bayern München in the 2001 UEFA Champions League final, losing a penalty shoot-out at San Siro after a 1-1 draw.

Match background
• Schalke won all three home games in Group B, seeing off SL Benfica 2-0, Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC 3-1 and Olympique Lyonnais 3-0.

• Their only previous knockout experience in the UEFA Champions League came in 2007/08 when they beat FC Porto 4-1 on penalties after both legs ended 1-0 to the home side. They then lost both legs of their quarter-final against Barcelona 1-0.

• Unai Emery's Valencia remained unbeaten away from home in Group C, beginning with a 4-0 win at Bursaspor before drawing 1-1 at both Rangers FC and Manchester United FC.

• When Valencia were last at this stage in 2006/07 they beat FC Internazionale Milano on away goals with a 2-2 draw in Italy and a goalless home tie. They then drew 1-1 at Chelsea FC in the quarter-final first leg but lost 2-1 at home.

• Schalke have won six of the eight UEFA competition ties in which they earned a first-leg draw away from home, although the most recent example – in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32 – a 1-1 draw at FC Shakhtar Donetsk was followed by a 1-0 home loss.

• Valencia have won four of the eight UEFA competition ties in which they drew the first leg at home. In last season's UEFA Europa League they drew 1-1 at home to SV Werder Bremen in the round of 16 first leg before a 4-4 draw in Germany took them through on away goals. In the quarter-finals, however, eventual winners Club Atlético de Madrid earned a 2-2 draw at Mestalla, knocking out Valencia thanks to a goalless return.

• Schalke have been involved in four penalty shoot-outs in UEFA competition, losing two. They won the 1996/97 UEFA Cup final by defeating FC Internazionale Milano 4-1 on spot kicks before that Porto success.

• That Bayern defeat in the 2001 UEFA Champions League final was one of two losses Valencia have suffered from four shoot-outs in UEFA competition. They overcame Arsenal FC to win the 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final on spot kicks.

Team ties
• Ricardo Costa played for VfL Wolfsburg from 2007 to 2010, working under current Schalke coach Felix Magath until 2009. Costa's team won 2-1 in Gelsenkirchen in 2007/08 when Manuel Neuer was on the opposite side.

• The following season – which ended with Costa celebrating Wolfsburg's championship triumph – the Gelsenkirchen fixture ended 2-2.

• In the semi-final of UEFA EURO 2008 Christoph Metzelder's Germany beat Mehmet Topal's Turkey 3-2 in Basle.

• José Manuel Jurado was part of the Atlético side that overcame Valencia in last season's UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. He also played for RCD Mallorca (2008/09) and Real Madrid CF (2002 to 2006).

• Before joining Schalke last summer, Rául had spent his entire senior career with Real Madrid. He scored in their 3-0 defeat of Valencia in the UEFA Champions League final in May 2000 and in 24 league games against these opponents found the net 12 times.

• Metzelder faced Valencia three times while at Real Madrid between 2007 and 2010, winning twice and losing once.

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Hedwiges Maduro have appeared together for the Netherlands national team.

Selected for you