Benfica vs Schalke 04 preview - Magath wants home advantage

Posted Tuesday, December 07, 2010 by PA

Schalke boss Felix Magath wants his side to secure top spot in Champions League Group B with victory away to Benfica.

Having already sealed their passage to the knockout stage thanks to a 3-0 win over Lyon a fortnight ago, Schalke might have been tempted to take their foot off the gas for the final group game.

However, Magath wants his side to do all they can to avoid one of Europe's big guns in the second round.

"It is not just about the glory of winning the group," he said. "I think the team knows that it would be an advantage to finish top as that would give us home advantage in the second leg in the next round.

"It could also give us an easier opponent. If we finish second, then there are one or two very tough opponents that we could draw."

Victory would also be an extra financial boost to the Gelsenkirchen-based club, while it would set them up well for their remaining two Bundesliga fixtures of the year after beating Bayern Munich at the weekend.

And Magath expects a similar game to the one against the German champions on Saturday.

"Benfica will do the attacking and that will give us room to play," he said.

"Hopefully we can do as well as we did in second half against Bayern."

There is still something at stake for Benfica, who need a win to ensure they drop into the Europa League.

"It is important to win because we hope to qualify for the Europa League," said defender Cesar Peixoto.

"We are sad because we knew that we had the ability to continue in the Champions League, but I think that we have a thing or two to say in the Europa League, which is also a big stage."

After losing 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen back in September, Cesar Peixoto knows what his side will be coming up against but he remains confident that home advantage will be decisive.

"Schalke are an excellent side," he said. "They have a world class attack, but we are playing at home and we are counting on the support of our fans."

Cardozo is back in the Benfica squad after damaging knee ligaments in Gelsenkirchen while Airton is also an option after recovering from injury.

Schalke defender Christian Pander is in line for his first start in over 18 months after coming on as a substitute against Bayern at the weekend.

However, Jefferson Farfan is suspended.