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Barcelona v Schalke 04: Preview

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  • Barcelona v Schalke 04: Preview

    Defender Gabi Milito is expected to shake off a knock in time to feature in the Champions League quarter-final second leg with Schalke.

    Milito suffered his injury in the 0-0 draw with Getafe at the weekend but should be fit.
    However, Ronaldinho, Deco and Lionel Messi are all ruled out through injury.
    The Brazilian looks set to miss the rest of the season after pulling a hamstring in training last week, while Deco admits he is still unsure of when he will be able to return to action.
    Messi has returned to training, though, and should be fit for a possible semi-final tie with Manchester United or Roma later this month.
    Barcelona remain confident of advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night, despite their recent poor run of form in the Primera Liga.
    Frank Rijkaard's side have won just one of their last five matches in the league and white handkerchiefs were waved by the disgruntled home faithful after Sunday's disappointing goalless draw with Getafe at the Nou Camp.
    The Catalans nevertheless approach Wednesday night's Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie with Schalke as firm favourites after winning 1-0 in Germany last week.
    Milito says the Catalans have saved their best performances for Europe this season and expects his side to progress to the semi-finals with a performance that will get the fans back on their side.
    "We have achieved some very good results in the Champions League this season and I am sure we can do well,'' he said.
    "The crowd will be with us against Schalke because this is a competition which excites everyone and we are going to fight to win it.''
    Milito also rejected suggestions that Barcelona have reached the end of a cycle.
    "The cycle has not finished. When I see the effort and enthusiasm of the players, not just the ones who have recently arrived, but also the ones who have been here for many years, I can see that is not the case,'' he added.
    Schalke will hand late fitness tests to Heiko Westermann, Mladen Krstajic and Christian Pander, but all are expected to feature.
    Coach Mirko Slomka insists his side do not need "a miracle'' to beat Barcelona and progress into the Champions League semi-finals.
    The Royal Blues head into the second leg needing to recover from a 1-0 deficit following Bojan Krkic's first-half goal in Gelsenkirchen last week.
    "Barcelona are a very good team with some very good players, but we are coming here to try and win the game,'' he said.
    The German team have never reached the last-four of Europe's premier club competition, however Slomka said: "To say it will be a miracle would be an exaggeration.
    "If the players give everything and play a good game individually and collectively, we definitely can win the match and go through.''
    Barcelona have suffered indifferent form recently, winning just once in their past eight domestic matches, however Slomka rejected the idea that this is an ideal time to face the Catalans.
    He added: "We lost 1-0 in the first match and they put us under a lot of pressure in the first half. In the second half we did a lot better.
    "Just because they drew 0-0 with Getafe at the weekend does not mean this is a good time to play them.''
    Slomka also believes Wednesday's match will be different to Sunday's league game because unlike Getafe, his side must score at the Nou Camp.
    "It's not a good example because Getafe didn't score and we need to score to remain in the tie,'' he said.
    Barcelona may be without Ronaldinho, Messi and Deco, but the Schalke coach says the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta will pose a threat to his side.
    "All of their players are dangerous. Those three are important, but there are others like Iniesta and Xavi. They are very strong even without Ronaldinho, Deco and Messi,'' he said.
    The 40-year-old manager hopes his side can soak up Barcelona's early pressure on Wednesday.
    "They will be under a lot of pressure to win the game. We have to resist the pressure in the first half and it is very important that we are strong in the second half,'' he said.
    "We are a good team in Europe, we are going to try to put them off their game and cause them problems.
    "We need to play a good game and I want to see good performances from my players.''
    A full house of 98,000 fans is expected at the Nou Camp, but Slomka says his side will not be intimidated by the hostile atmosphere at Europe's largest stadium. "It is very impressive, but we have seen that before at Chelsea and Valencia and I am sure we can handle it again,'' he said.
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