Real Madrid will look to continue its strong play when it takes on Schalke 04 on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.
Despite an unbeaten run of 26 straight games, the Spanish giants have won only once in their last 24 matches in Germany and struggled mightily a year ago against Borussia Dortmund. Madrid lost 2-1 against Dortmund in the group stage before being destroyed 4-1 in the first leg of the UCL semifinal.
How do the two sides match up?
Real Madrid
Los Blancos have a 26-game unbeaten run and goalie Iker Casillas has not conceded a single goal in nine straight games. Madrid swept through Group B of the Champions League with minor difficulties. The team destroyed Galatasaray 6-1 in the opening game before destroying Copenhagen 4-0 in the second game. The team earned a 2-1 win over Juventus at home before tying the Italians 2-2 in the fourth match. The team then dominated Galatasaray 4-1 in the penultimate match before finishing off the group stage with a 2-0 win over Copenhagen.
One of the interesting storylines heading into the match will be whether coach Carlo Ancelotti decides to start Gareth Bale or Jese Rodriguez. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo makes it inevitable that one of those two stars will be starting on the bench. Bale is coming off an impressive performance this past weekend but Jese has been on fire in the last few weeks.
Schalke 04
The German side has been woeful all season long and is likely looking to make one final drive at a major trophy with Julian Draxler in its lineup. The youngster is slated to leave this summer and would create a major hole in the team's offensive plans.
Schalke finished second in Group E with three wins, one draw and two losses. Schalke took down Steaua Bucharest 3-0 in the opener before winning 1-0 against FC Basel. However, the team lost two games against Chelsea by the score of 3-0; a visit to Bucharest produced a 0-0 draw while a 2-0 win over Basel sealed the team's passage to the knockout rounds.
Schalke finished first in the group stage a year ago but wound up eliminated by Galatasaray in the round of 16.
Schalke Wins if...
It plays a strong defensive game and dominates Madrid on the counterattack. Los Blancos are extremely competent on the defensive side of the ball these days and will likely provide Schalke's attack with problems. However, the team needs to be more concerned with avoiding any goals against; a 0-0 draw would be a huge win for Schalke as it shifts the pressure over to Madrid ahead of the return leg.
Madrid Wins if...
The team continues to play the free-flowing game that has led it to so much success of late. The team also needs to ignore any "curses" it has in Germany and play its game. Cristiano Ronaldo also needs to make his presence known. He has not played well in the last few weeks since winning the Ballon d'Or; he needs to step up for his team.
Prediction: Madrid wins 3-0.
The match kicks off at 2:45 p.m. EST and can be streamed online on Fox Soccer 2 Go. It can also be viewed on Fox Deportes; ESPN Deportes radio is also streaming the match. Live score updates can be found on ESPNFC.com.