The combination of a German opponent and Spanish forward Raul Gonzalez could prove deadly for Manchester United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the Champions League semi-finals.
Schalke may be the outsiders by name, but United have never beaten a German team in four two-legged knockout ties in the elite event and also went out twice against Real Madrid when Raul was playing for them.
"Don't mention the Germans," warned British daily The Independent, and The Sun said that "Raul will be desperate to pile the misery on Fergie in the semis."
Borussia Dortmund dumped United en route to the title in the 1997 semis and Bayer Leverkusen beat them in the same round in 2002. United also crashed out against Bayern Munich in the 2001 and 2010 quarter-finals, although most remember the stunning 2-1 triumph in the (one-legged) final in 1999.
Raul, for his part, scored four of his record 71 Champions League goals when Real ousted United in the 2000 and 2003 quarter-finals.
Now United are up against Schalke on April 26 at the Veltins Arena and May 4 at Old Trafford.
Like Leverkusen in 2002, Schalke are relatively unknown on the big stage despite a previous UEFA Cup title (Leverkusen 1988, Schalke 1997), and have never gone that far in the elite event.
However, they have now gained worldwide fame by thrashing holders Inter Milan.
Ferguson took no chances and attended Schalke's second meeting with Inter. The Germans easily won 2-1 to follow up on their 5-2 gala at the San Siro a week ago.
"Sir Alex Ferguson will not have departed Gelsenkirchen trembling, but will have noted the vibrancy of Schalke. They possess a nice mix of energy and know-how. There may be a comparison with Bayer Leverkusen a decade ago," warned the Daily Mail on Thursday.
Schalke lie mid-table in the Bundesliga but appear reborn since Ralf Rangnick became coach in succession of Felix Magath.
Their current high, however, has the handwriting of both coaches.
Magath's rigid regime has made the players super fit which pays off in late-season action. Rangnick then instilled confidence and a more skillful attacking game plan which led to the 5-2 sensation in Milan.
Raul, who came to Schalke last summer and scored the first on Wednesday and fed Benedikt Hoewedes for the second, spoke of "a historic moment for all of us."
Schalke also have Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was mentioned in connection with a move to Old Trafford but appears Munich-bound.
Alexander Baumjohann and Jose Manuel Jurado provide skill, while 19-year-old central midfielders Joel Matip and Kyriakos Papadopoulos contained Inter's stars even though their combined age is just one year more than United star Ryan Giggs' 37.
Rangnick's options will increase in the semis as winger Jefferson Farfan returns from a suspension. Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is expected back from injury, but Rangnick remains modest.
"Against Manchester, we are clearly outsiders but who knows, if everything comes together maybe we can even reach the final," said Rangnick.
Schalke may be the outsiders by name, but United have never beaten a German team in four two-legged knockout ties in the elite event and also went out twice against Real Madrid when Raul was playing for them.
"Don't mention the Germans," warned British daily The Independent, and The Sun said that "Raul will be desperate to pile the misery on Fergie in the semis."
Borussia Dortmund dumped United en route to the title in the 1997 semis and Bayer Leverkusen beat them in the same round in 2002. United also crashed out against Bayern Munich in the 2001 and 2010 quarter-finals, although most remember the stunning 2-1 triumph in the (one-legged) final in 1999.
Raul, for his part, scored four of his record 71 Champions League goals when Real ousted United in the 2000 and 2003 quarter-finals.
Now United are up against Schalke on April 26 at the Veltins Arena and May 4 at Old Trafford.
Like Leverkusen in 2002, Schalke are relatively unknown on the big stage despite a previous UEFA Cup title (Leverkusen 1988, Schalke 1997), and have never gone that far in the elite event.
However, they have now gained worldwide fame by thrashing holders Inter Milan.
Ferguson took no chances and attended Schalke's second meeting with Inter. The Germans easily won 2-1 to follow up on their 5-2 gala at the San Siro a week ago.
"Sir Alex Ferguson will not have departed Gelsenkirchen trembling, but will have noted the vibrancy of Schalke. They possess a nice mix of energy and know-how. There may be a comparison with Bayer Leverkusen a decade ago," warned the Daily Mail on Thursday.
Schalke lie mid-table in the Bundesliga but appear reborn since Ralf Rangnick became coach in succession of Felix Magath.
Their current high, however, has the handwriting of both coaches.
Magath's rigid regime has made the players super fit which pays off in late-season action. Rangnick then instilled confidence and a more skillful attacking game plan which led to the 5-2 sensation in Milan.
Raul, who came to Schalke last summer and scored the first on Wednesday and fed Benedikt Hoewedes for the second, spoke of "a historic moment for all of us."
Schalke also have Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was mentioned in connection with a move to Old Trafford but appears Munich-bound.
Alexander Baumjohann and Jose Manuel Jurado provide skill, while 19-year-old central midfielders Joel Matip and Kyriakos Papadopoulos contained Inter's stars even though their combined age is just one year more than United star Ryan Giggs' 37.
Rangnick's options will increase in the semis as winger Jefferson Farfan returns from a suspension. Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is expected back from injury, but Rangnick remains modest.
"Against Manchester, we are clearly outsiders but who knows, if everything comes together maybe we can even reach the final," said Rangnick.
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