Schalke 04 will look to bounce back from a poor effort in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs against Greek side PAOK when the two teams face off in the second leg on Tuesday.
Despite the scoreline ending 1-1, Schalke missed a huge chance to cement a spot in the group stage this season thanks to a late away goal from PAOK's Miroslav Stoch.
The task on Tuesday is to score an away goal or two and avoid conceding. A 0-0 draw in Greece will eliminate the German side from the Champions League 2013-14.
"We fell behind because we defended badly in the situation that led to the opening goal," said Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt, according to Bundesliga.com. "It took us a while to get back in the game after [Benedikt Höwedes' red card] but then we conceded again from a set piece... We showed great morale in the second half, though, and played the way we had set out to from the outset."
He added, "If [Adam] Szalai or [Tim] Hoogland had taken their chances to equalize, it could have been a completely different result."
Schalke finished atop its group last year during the tournament and faced off against Turkish team Galatasary in the round of 16. The team wound up eliminated in that encounter.
Prediction: Schalke is the superior side but will have to put the pressure on the confident Greek team. Expect a 2-1 Schalke win.
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. EST
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