Barca call for fans' support ahead of Schalke showdown

BEIJING, April 8 -- Barcelona are calling for their supporters to rally round the team for their Champions League quarter-final decider at home to Schalke 04 tomorrow following weekend protests at their recent performances.

Barca won the first leg 1-0 in Germany last week with a Bojan Krkic goal but they have won just one of their last six league games.

They were given the white handkerchief treatment at the end of Sunday's 0-0 draw at home to Getafe, while several hundred fans staged a demonstration to voice their discontent with the president, players and coach Frank Rijkaard.

"This team needs support if it is to pick itself up," Rijkaard said after the game. "I've never got carried away when things are going well and I don't like seeing everything as being negative either.

"The protests are disappointing and they hurt, but the team have to be congratulated because they always try hard. We need everyone to back them because they are the heart of this club."

The draw against Getafe provided yet another blow to Barca's title aspirations and the Catalans remain seven points adrift of leaders Real Madrid with seven games left to play.

But striker Samuel Eto'o remains upbeat about Barca's chances of ending the season with some silverware.

"We've failed to take a lot of opportunities to close on Real but I still believe we can win the league and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League," he said.

Argentine centre-back Gabriel Milito is doubtful after experiencing a recurrence of a groin problem during the Getafe match, while midfielder Xavi also ended the match in some pain.

Ronaldinho, whose future at the club has been the cause of intense speculation in recent weeks, is out for six weeks with a pulled muscle, while Lionel Messi is still out of action.

FAMILIAR STORY

For Schalke, it was an all too familiar story in the first leg, as they battered the Barcelona defence without managing to get the ball in the net.

Schalke's problem all season has been scoring goals, with just six to their name in nine games in the Champions League, but the way they put Barca under pressure has at least given the German side hope of causing an upset at the Nou Camp.

"We obviously have to play the same game we played in the second half last week," fullback Heiko Westermann told Kicker. "If we do that we have a chance."

Schalke made it four wins and a draw from their last five Bundesliga games when they saw off Hansa Rostock 1-0 on Saturday, a result that took them back up to second place.

Kevin Kuranyi was rested for that game but is likely to be back for Wednesday alongside Halil Altintop in attack.

Jermaine Jones is back available again after being suspended for the first leg and the German should slot straight back into midfield in place of Levan Kobiashvili.

Probable teams:

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 5-Carles Puyol or 11-Gianluca Zambrotta, 3-Gabriel Milito or 4-Rafael Marquez, 16-Silvinho; 6-Xavi, 24-Yaya Toure, 8-Andres Iniesta; 9-Samuel Eto'o, 27-Bojan Krkic, 14-Thierry Henry.

Schalke 04: 1-Manuel Neuer; 18-Rafinha, 5-Marcelo Bordon, 20-Mladen Krstajic, 2-Heiko Westermann; 14-Gerald Asamoah, 13-Jermaine Jones, 8-Fabian Ernst, 24-Christian Pander; 22-Kevin Kuranyi, 19-Halil Altintop

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)