Schalke will be on a quest to break an ‘opening day curse’ when they take on Olympiacos on Match-day One.
Schalke’s previous campaign in the Champions League was a magical one. They beat Valencia and destroyed Inter en-route to the semi-finals where they were finally put to rest by Manchester United. The Schalke side which achieved this feat was a troubled one. They were managed by two different managers in the course of that season. The hierarchy was involved in a monumental battle against Bayern to hold on to Manuel Neuer.
Olympiacos last season was placed in a tough group consisting of Dortmund, Arsenal and Marseille. They seemed set for progression on the final day but luck didn’t favour them as Dortmund gave away a two-goal lead to lose against Marseille, 2-3. Olympiacos, similar to their national side, is stingy. They won’t allow a Schalke side that has never won on match-day one any easy opportunities.
Schalke has impressed in the Bundesliga but has done so under the radar. Their expansive football has seen them earn a draw against Hannover and pick up two victories against two stingy sides, Augsburg (3-1) and Greuther Fürth (0-2). The win against Fürth was marked by a brilliant substitution from coach Huub Stevens.
Schalke was holding on to a single goal lead courtesy of a brilliant strike from Julian Draxler. Tranquillo Barnetta, the former Leverkusen man, came on and added an extra dimension to an already talent-loaded Schalke offence. He scored the second goal showing his value to the coach. Schalke compared to other clubs has bought wisely. Barnetta is already proving to be a good buy. Ibrahim Afellay has arrived at the club on loan from Barcelona.
For one of Schalke’s players, this match will be a reunion with his former club. Kyriakos Papadopoulos starred for the Greek side between 2007 and 2010. The defender will have to be on his toes as fixtures between Olympiacos and German sides tend to be filled with goals- 29 have been scored in six fixtures in Greece.
Olympiacos is much more accustomed to this competition than Schalke in terms of appearances. This is Olympiacos’ fourteenth tournament while this is only Schalke’s fifth. The Greek side has a former Bundesliga star in their ranks- Marko Pantelic. Pantelic is a journeyman really and he starred for Hertha Berlin in his spell in Germany.
Much of Schalke’s success in the 2010-11 campaign was due to the experience and trickery of Raul Gonzalez. Raul has since departed for Asia. Julian Draxler, the up and coming youngster of Schalke recently spoke about Raul’s importance in an interview.
“He (Raul) was an absolute leader, just because of his experience. He has played at a top-class level for many years. He was crucial many times in Bundesliga and Champions League matches. He was a great example for the club. Many people said he brought a bit of glamour here to the Ruhr area, and I agree. If you have such a top star at Schalke, it does everybody good, as it would at any club.”
In the interview, Draxler also mentioned his dream of reaching another semi-final after having featured in the one in 2011. The game won’t be easy for Schalke. Olympiacos did manage to beat Arsenal, 3-1, last season. What must be mentioned though is Arsene Wenger fielded a largely reserve side in that game.
Schalke might be able to reach another semi-final after showing considerable consistency last season and so far this season. However, first, they have to overcome their opening day problems.
Prediction: Olympiacos 1-2 Schalke
Olympiacos last season was placed in a tough group consisting of Dortmund, Arsenal and Marseille. They seemed set for progression on the final day but luck didn’t favour them as Dortmund gave away a two-goal lead to lose against Marseille, 2-3. Olympiacos, similar to their national side, is stingy. They won’t allow a Schalke side that has never won on match-day one any easy opportunities.
Schalke has impressed in the Bundesliga but has done so under the radar. Their expansive football has seen them earn a draw against Hannover and pick up two victories against two stingy sides, Augsburg (3-1) and Greuther Fürth (0-2). The win against Fürth was marked by a brilliant substitution from coach Huub Stevens.
Schalke was holding on to a single goal lead courtesy of a brilliant strike from Julian Draxler. Tranquillo Barnetta, the former Leverkusen man, came on and added an extra dimension to an already talent-loaded Schalke offence. He scored the second goal showing his value to the coach. Schalke compared to other clubs has bought wisely. Barnetta is already proving to be a good buy. Ibrahim Afellay has arrived at the club on loan from Barcelona.
For one of Schalke’s players, this match will be a reunion with his former club. Kyriakos Papadopoulos starred for the Greek side between 2007 and 2010. The defender will have to be on his toes as fixtures between Olympiacos and German sides tend to be filled with goals- 29 have been scored in six fixtures in Greece.
Olympiacos is much more accustomed to this competition than Schalke in terms of appearances. This is Olympiacos’ fourteenth tournament while this is only Schalke’s fifth. The Greek side has a former Bundesliga star in their ranks- Marko Pantelic. Pantelic is a journeyman really and he starred for Hertha Berlin in his spell in Germany.
Much of Schalke’s success in the 2010-11 campaign was due to the experience and trickery of Raul Gonzalez. Raul has since departed for Asia. Julian Draxler, the up and coming youngster of Schalke recently spoke about Raul’s importance in an interview.
“He (Raul) was an absolute leader, just because of his experience. He has played at a top-class level for many years. He was crucial many times in Bundesliga and Champions League matches. He was a great example for the club. Many people said he brought a bit of glamour here to the Ruhr area, and I agree. If you have such a top star at Schalke, it does everybody good, as it would at any club.”
In the interview, Draxler also mentioned his dream of reaching another semi-final after having featured in the one in 2011. The game won’t be easy for Schalke. Olympiacos did manage to beat Arsenal, 3-1, last season. What must be mentioned though is Arsene Wenger fielded a largely reserve side in that game.
Schalke might be able to reach another semi-final after showing considerable consistency last season and so far this season. However, first, they have to overcome their opening day problems.
Prediction: Olympiacos 1-2 Schalke
