FC Schalke 04 coach Mirko Slomka described the visit of FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final as "a proud moment in the club's history" and urged his players to capitalise fully on having home advantage in Tuesday's first leg.

A dramatic penalty shoot-out win over FC Porto has qualified Schalke for the last eight of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in almost half a century. They were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate by Atlético de Madrid in 1958/59, but Slomka is confident of avoiding more disappointment at the hands of Spanish opponents. "Getting past Porto has given us belief and now we're here we want to go on," the 40-year-old said, having seen his team go third in the Bundesliga despite drawing 0-0 at Karlsruhe SC on Saturday.

Perhaps looking to relieve the pressure from his players, Slomka portrayed the meeting with the two-time European champions as "a normal game of football that will pit eleven players against eleven", yet even the phlegmatic German was struggling to hide his excitement completely. "Every Schalke player and supporter is proud to be part of such a prestigious game," he said. "Our fans give us a big advantage on these European nights and if we play with passion and maintain a high tempo we have a great chance to beat one of the best teams in Europe."

Márquez: “They’re most dangerous in the air”

Rafa Márquez, one of the new faces in the Barça squad for the match against Schalke 04, thinks that one of the strengths of the German side is their aerial game. The Mexican reckons that Schalke won’t make things easy for Barcelona.

Defender Rafa Márquez is back for the first leg of Barça’s Champions League quarter final against Schalke 04. The Mexican has been sidelined with injury and makes his return just when the team needs him most. Márquez spoke this Monday evening at a press conference.