Raul to haunt his old adversaries Valencia
Valencia versus Schalke might not immediately stand out as one of the most intriguing ties of the Champions League round of 16 but there's plenty to look forward to at the Mestalla this evening, not least the return to Spain of former Real Madrid forwards Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The duo haven't disappointed since their summer reunion in Gelsenkirchen, Raul scoring a dozen for last season's Bundesliga runners-up with Huntelaar not far behind on ten and a goal for the former will allow him to leapfrog Pippo Inzaghi as the competition's all-time leading goalscorer.
The 102-time Spain international has a decent record against Valencia, netting three in his last five starts against Los Che, and scored in his last Champions League collision with them - the 1999-00 Final! He is therefore a more tempting prospect at [4.4] to strike at any time than Huntelaar at [4.0].
As for the outcome of the encounter, Schalke appear underestimated at both [5.8] to win the away leg and [2.42] to progress, especially as they hold the advantage of hosting the return having topped Group B. Valencia can be laid at [1.76] tonight, despite falling short in six straight home ties against German teams.
There's little disputing that Valencia are having a better season domestically and they are in fine form having triumphed in seven of their last eight La Liga matches, but Schalke have also improved recently to reach the German Cup semi-finals and shake off slight worries of a relegation battle.
Felix Magath's side are unbeaten in five in their travels, keeping clean sheets in the last four and never trailing in any of the games, so a wager on them winning at the very least has the potential to provide an attractive trading opportunity. They've claimed three victories and a draw away to top-six Bundesliga clubs and won at Benfica, demonstrating their appetite for the big occasion.
Valencia v Schalke
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Live on Sky Sports 4
Think we're overrating Schalke? Valencia are [2.94] to lead at both intervals...
Published: 15 Feb 2011
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