FCBARCELONA.CAT

07.04.2008 17:51

Champions League time again

Jordi Clos

The Champions League is back at the Camp Nou this Wednesday with the return leg of the quarter-final tie between Barça and Schalke 04. The atmosphere for another great night of European football will start building up tomorrow.

The Camp Nou will be the venue for the second leg of the Champions League quarter final between Barça and Schalke 04. From Tuesday afternoon when both teams will be training out on the pitch up until kick off time on Wednesday (8.45 pm), all of the traditional build-up to a major European fixture will set pulses racing. In fact the usual preparations for a Champions League encounter began this Monday around the ground.

The schedule

Schalke 04 is set to arrive at El Prat airport at 12:40 pm on Tuesday. Around two hours later coach Mirko Slomka will hold a press conference at the HC Miramar Hotel, where the Germans will be staying until Thursday morning. At 6 pm Schalke will be on the Camp Nou pitch for the first and only time before the game, as the Royal Blue’s training session on Wednesday will be at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (11:00).

As is usual on the day before a Champions League fixture, Frank Rijkaard and a player will be fielding questions from the media in the Camp Nou press room on Tuesday at 6.30 pm. An hour later the squad will have its last training session before the game and then head off to its pre-match hotel.

Fifth game of the season

Schalke 04 will be the fifth side to come to the Camp Nou in this season’s Champions League. In the group stage the visitors were Olympique de Lyon (3-0), Glasgow Rangers (2-0) and Stuttgart (3-1). The most recent Champions League fixture in Barcelona was the second leg of the last 16 tie against Glasgow Celtic (1-0) on 4 March.