Raul Gonzalez, Schalke (Getty Images)
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| Manchester United (4-4-2)Van der Sar; Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Park; Berbatov, Owen. |  |
With his team in a commanding position, Sir Alex Ferguson has pledged to make changes to the starting line-up that featured in the first leg. His defence will remain the same, but on Monday he pledged to use Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen as he prepares his midfield and attack for Sunday's pivotal Premier League clash with Chelsea.
| Schalke (4-4-2)Neuer; Uchida, Howedes, Metzelder, Escudero; Farfan, Papadopoulos, Kluge, Jurado; Raul, Edu. |  |
Ralf Rangnick was tactically humbled in the first leg, and will surely not make the mistake of using Jose Jurado in a defensive midfield role once more. Peer Kluge is expected to replace the Spaniard in the centre, with Jurado moving out to the left flank. Benedikt Howedes' fitness is still in question, but with Schalke having suffered a woeful run in his absence, Rangnick may be better off using the centre half at less than full fitness.
Manchester United have conceded just three goals in the Champions League; their defensive record is the tournament's best.
- Ryan Giggs' four assists in the Champions League exceeds all his teammates' and opponents' respective tallies. Only four players exceed his total.
- United have the best disciplinary record of the remaining teams. No player is in danger of missing the final, and the Red Devils are yet to have a player sent off.
- Their loss to Arsenal on Sunday left United just three points clear of Chelsea in the Premier League table, prompting Ferguson to rest key players during Wednesday's match with Schalke.
- Dimitar Berbatov, who is expected to start at centre forward, managed six goals in 11 Bundesliga appearances against Schalke during his six-year stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
- Schalke have lost their last three competitive matches by a 7-1 aggregate score.
- Die Knappen have won 70 and drawn in 36 of their 134 matches in UEFA club competitions.
- Schalke's only continental trophies are the 1996-97 UEFA Cup, and 2003 and 2004 Intertoto Cups.
- Raul has scored five goals in the Champions League this year, more than any other Schalke or Manchester United player.
- Schalke have covered more ground than their opponents in 10 of their 11 Champions League matches.
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