Carlo Ancelotti and his men hold an unbreakable 6-1 advantage after the first-leg but Shalke will do their best to gain revenge for that humiliating result. Real Madrid ran riot in the first leg last month, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale scoring two goals apiece in the landslide win. Real have scored 26 goals in the Champions League this season and remain on course for a treble since they can still win the Primera Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Ancelotti's side have won their last 16 home games in all competitions and have conceded only two goals at the Bernabeu in 2014. Real clinched a 1-0 win over Malaga last weekend, a result which preserved their three-point lead at the top of the league table. Schalke are in good form this year as well, they lost just two games in 2014 but both were crushing defeats: 6-1 at the hands of Real and 5-1 to Bayern Munich. Their best player at the moment is former Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutch striker has eight goals in nine games since returning from a knee injury.
Captain Benedikt Howedes says that they don't have any hopes of making the quarter finals, but they do have something to play for. "We want to sign off from Europe on a high note. Unfortunately, losing 6-1 to Madrid brought a good Champions League season to an end," he said. "What's more important now is that the last impression we leave in this year's competition is positive for us and the club." Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng added: "We want to get stuck into things again, even if we know it's impossible to progress. We're not going to Madrid to see the sights. We want to put in a good performance." Real Madrid might prove too strong for them once again though, I predict a 3-0 win for the home side.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Real Madrid win - 2/9
Draw - 6/1
Schalke win - 14/1
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