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3 In Defense: Will Real Madrid crush Schalke once again?

Reuters

The Champions League is back in full swing, and theScore’s trio of footy editors debate the key topics ahead of Wednesday’s Round of 16 ties. You better believe the takes are going to be hot.

Will Schalke learn from last season’s debacle and give Real Madrid a legitimate challenge this time around?

Gordon Brunt: The lessons learned from last year’s mauling should benefit Schalke’s approach and help prevent the defense from putting on another horror show. Their poor goal-scoring form, however, is an indicator that the end result will likely go in Real Marid’s favour again. The German club’s attacking form is in the midst of a drought in the final third, with the loss of Julian Draxler and the disappearance of Maxim Choupo-Moting’s scoring touch largely to blame. While the back line have a better understanding of their opponents devastating capabilities up front, the chances of preventing Los Blancos from finding the back of the net on multiple occasions seem slim.

Carlo Campo: It's hard to imagine that Schalke will lose 9-2 on aggregate to Real Madrid in this year's repeat of last season's round of 16 clash. However, manager Roberto Di Matteo will need to work a miracle to give his side even the slightest chance of progression.

And although Di Matteo might know a thing or two about Champions League success from his time at Chelsea, eliminating the reigning champions is arguably a tougher task than what he accomplished in 2011-12. If anything, the disparity between Real Madrid and Schalke has only grown since the two sides faced off last season and it's hard to pinpoint a single area where Di Matteo's have the edge on Carlo Ancelotti's squad.

Gianluca Nesci: As manager Roberto Di Matteo rightly points out, Schalke are a different team than the one that was humiliated - particularly at home in the first leg - last year. Different, sure, but not appreciably better as to completely overturn last season’s loss. Even with a full squad, the German side would have trouble toppling the defending European champions, and with the likes of Draxler and Jefferson Farfan on the sidelines, a full side they are not. Real Madrid should take care of business rather comfortably, regardless of their recent dip in form.

Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled to find the net of late. Is this the match that he gets back on track?

Brunt:  If last year is any indication, Ronaldo is on the verge of carving Schalke’s defence to pieces. His four-goal performance through two legs appear like a feat the Portuguese superstar can repeat and put talks of a decrease in scoring behind him.

Campo: Four of Real Madrid's goals in their 9-2 thrashing of Schalke last season came courtesy of Ronaldo, and it would be foolish to assume that the Portuguese superstar won't find the back of the net in this year's rematch. Instead of focusing on the fact that he's gone three matches without a goal - a statistic that would be of no concern to almost any other player - the focus should be on the five goals he's scored through six Champions League matches. Ronaldo thrives on the European stage. And if anything, he's hungrier than ever to get on the scoresheet.

Nesci: Something is clearly amiss with the Portuguese superstar. Rumblings of niggling knee problems have popped up, while others suggest his recent form is just a byproduct of the club's struggles. Ronaldo’s scoring pace earlier in the season was out of this world, and while it comes as no surprise that he hasn’t kept it up, his shooting numbers of late are more concerning. Averaging 5.8 shots per 90 minutes in La Liga this season, he has fired off only 10 in his last three matches - hitting the net just once. Schalke, meanwhile, hasn’t conceded more than one goal in a match since Dec. 13. Ronaldo may very well score, but don’t expect anything similar to his four-goal output of last season.

Without central defender Fabian Schar - who will miss the match through suspension - will Basel be capable of slowing down Jackson Martinez?

Brunt: FC Porto are one of the squads most teams wanted to avoid at this stage of the tournament, which makes the loss of Schar an even bigger hit to Basel’s chances of advancing. Schar’s absence will be a tough blow, but the adrenaline of playing at home should help bring Basel up to speed with their high-scoring opponents.

Campo: Jackson Martinez's five goals in five Champions League appearances would suggest that Schar-less Basel face a daunting task against Porto. The Colombian forward is enjoying a successful 2014-15 that bodes well for Porto's chances of progressing to the next round, and Basel would surely love to have a player in their squad capable of scoring at such a furious rate. Unfortunately for Paulo Sousa's side, they don't.

Nesci: The absence of Schar, who played all 540 minutes for Basel in the group stage, leaves a gaping hole that will not easily be filled by Walter Samuel - who is now expected to partner Marek Suchy in central defense. ‘The Wall’ as he was affectionately dubbed during his time at Inter Milan, was a colossal defender in his heyday. At 36 years old, those days are a thing of the past, and Martinez - who comes into the match with goals in nine of his last 12 contests - will be licking his lips at the thought of running at the aging Argentine.

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