Valencia striker Roberto Soldado has urged his teammates to seize all they can in the first leg match against Schalke.
Valencia are back in the knockout round of the Champions League after a four-year absence and they are set to match another side who have exceeded all expectations during the group stages.
Even though they lost at home to Manchester United, Valencia pushed Sir Alex Ferguson's men to the maximum until finishing second in the group. Meanwhile, Schalke topped a group that included the likes of Olympique Lyonnais and Benfica.
For Roberto Soldado, this match represents the biggest match of the season for them and he urges his teammates to aim for the jugular.
"We know [Schalke] are a team who won't make anything easy for us. We must focus on our own game and style. This is the most important match of our lives and we must go for the jugular in order to try to take [control of] the tie," said the 25-year-old, scorer of five goals in five group stage appearances.
"This game is so important that we must erase the statistics from our minds and just go out and give our all. We're playing at home and I'm sure if we continue on the path that got us here it will serve us well. We have the confidence and we need to use that."
This match will see Soldado face off against former Real Madrid teammate, Raul who currently plays for Felix Magath's men. However, Soldado has dismissed suggestions that Raul is their most important player.
"Schalke are not all about Raúl," said Soldado. "They have many dangerous players, especially up front, and we'll have to be careful. The subject of Raúl is just one more in a game where we will be looking to get a good result in order to go to Germany with a good chance to qualify."
Even though they lost at home to Manchester United, Valencia pushed Sir Alex Ferguson's men to the maximum until finishing second in the group. Meanwhile, Schalke topped a group that included the likes of Olympique Lyonnais and Benfica.
For Roberto Soldado, this match represents the biggest match of the season for them and he urges his teammates to aim for the jugular.
"We know [Schalke] are a team who won't make anything easy for us. We must focus on our own game and style. This is the most important match of our lives and we must go for the jugular in order to try to take [control of] the tie," said the 25-year-old, scorer of five goals in five group stage appearances.
"This game is so important that we must erase the statistics from our minds and just go out and give our all. We're playing at home and I'm sure if we continue on the path that got us here it will serve us well. We have the confidence and we need to use that."
This match will see Soldado face off against former Real Madrid teammate, Raul who currently plays for Felix Magath's men. However, Soldado has dismissed suggestions that Raul is their most important player.
"Schalke are not all about Raúl," said Soldado. "They have many dangerous players, especially up front, and we'll have to be careful. The subject of Raúl is just one more in a game where we will be looking to get a good result in order to go to Germany with a good chance to qualify."
