For Afrinux.

Come on Afrinux, your predictions now

Schalke is lack of score and it will be clean sheet for Valdes. (Hopefully)
but otherwise without messi, Barca doesnt play effectively.

1. leg will be 0-0

Barca are not very good, but Shalke are worse.

guess i shall vote for barca to win this time.. thinking i never make a mate really happy yet.. now the time has finally come.. lol..

schalke 1 - 3 barca

Barca are not very good Sticky? On their day they are capable of beating any team put in front of them. There is no other midfield/front line like theirs in the world. Their defence is the only worrying thing for them though. They'll win 2-0 away and 2-0 at home

Sticky is right, Barça is crappy this season. The question is is Schalke are crappier or what...

Barca will win it this year

I agree with CFCBhoy that on their day Barca could bang out any team on the planet. The thing that annoys me about them is that although they keep buying new defenders, midfielders and strikers over the last few years, they still keep that muppet Valdes in goal. He's not good enough for a team like that.

He's made many high profile errors in the past few years despite being a good shot stopper. The Liverpool game last season said it all. Barca were cruising, winning 1-0 and no real threat of conceding. Then Bellamy directs a goal header goalwards and Valdes catches it but takes it behind the line. The goal changed the tie. Stupid error.

I can think of many other errors that's he's made in La Liga (Atletico Madrid recently) and I don't even watch Spanish football as much as I used to.

I hope Barca win it but they'll need a 100% fit and raring to go Messi for the semi finals...IF they get past Schalke.

Raul, I am going for a win 1 - 3 for us.
Toure and Messi are out and that's very worrying though.

I agree with Johaldo, V Valdes has always been our weak link. A lapse of concentration in our defense will always result with a goal. Since we can not get casillas, I am hoping that Laporta goes for Cech.

Tez, thanks for starting the thread. But if we do lose, ....

Valdes makes some errors and plays some good games (like in the final of the Champions), I would sign a new keeper but it won't happen, Valdes will be the keeper during some years.

I think Valdes has been one of the best players of Barça this season

Blame me, spank me... have your way with me.

For obvious reasons

What's happened to Real Madrid recently? Their form has dropped quite a bit.

I'd say quite a lot

I guess it's because of injuries. We've played the last games without Robihno, Sneijder, Van Nistelrooy, Sergio Ramos, Pepe... and now Van Nistelrooy, who was supposed to play again this sunday against Valencia, will be another month without playing because he's gonna get an ankle operation
Although Ramos will play this sunday again, and Pepe, Sneijder and Robinho should be totally perfect in a matter of a few games (they're already playing).

So basically if Barca can sort themselves out, then the race is still on.

Yes, but that's unlikely to happen.
Real are leading La Liga because we've been the best in the first round and least worst in the second.

Anyway, back to topic... I predict a draw, 1-1 in the first leg

So he gonna be a liability like owen in England's squad. We are going to handle titles, just to please a local hero
And what's wrong with Abidal? He had been very good at the start, but lately he is very awful. He looks like he doesn't care anymore.

Well, that's explain why Real will retain the title unchallenged.
IMO, Nor Real, nor Barcelona really deserves the title this season. The yellow marines deserve it more.

All of te big teams have been poor. The Villareal do deserve it more.

Sevilla - terrible start with Puerta's death, and then THE MAIN MAN left. All went wrong for them.

Real Madrid - inconsistent, way too many slip ups, but still top because of poor season's from the other challengers.

Valencia - the less said the better. Absolute nightmare.

Barca - it's like they've never got going. Same as last season.

Atleitco Madrid - did their best work in the summer - signing players. Were doing quite well until recently, but with their team and the money they have they should be doing a lot better.

Schalke 2 - Barça 2
Barça 3 - Schalke 0

We beat the yellow submarines 0-5 in El Madrigal, and 3-2 in the Bernabeu.

SCHALKE - BARCELONA : 0 - 0
BARCELONA - SCHALKE : 2 - 1

At best Schalke will get a draw. It won't matter though, over two legs they are surely doomed.