Point Spreads - NCAA, Final Four, College Basketball, NBA, MLB, World Series, NFL, College Football, BCS & Super Bowl Point Spreads

Schalke took the first leg 1-0 from Porto, at Veltins Arena in Germany. Schalke 04 played like veterans in their first appearance in the knockout rounds of the Champions League and they’re looking to advance. The second leg takes place in Porto, where FC Porto is listed as -130 odds favorite over Schalke. Get your UEFA Champions League pick in now!

Porto’s strengths are their play at home, where they are 3-0-1 SU in group play. Thanks to a defense that doesn’t see goalkeeper Helton picking too many out of his net. They currently sit with a twelve point lead in the Portuguese Liga. They rested their top players on Saturday’s game against Boavista FC which ended in a goalless draw. Despite the 1-0 loss, they see this as a blessing because they only need two goals to advance instead of three or four goals which easily could have been the case. Porto will be looking for L.Gonzalez to help out with some much needed goals. He currently leads his team with three Champions League goals. L.Lopez and R.Quaresma have each netted two goals apiece.

Despite the good Champions League play Schalke are less spectacular in Bundesliga play. They are 0-3 SU in their last three Bundesliga games and they lost at home to FC Bayern München. This is their worst run since 2006. They are 1-1-1 SU on the road. They come out strong at the start but slowly start to fade out. The majority of their goals come before the first half, and then they allow most of their opponents to score in the last 20 minutes of play. Their top goal scorer is K.Kuranyi with three goals and he leads his team in Bundesliga scoring with eight goals. Schaulke has scored seventeen goals in their last ten games and they’ve allowed eleven.  

FC Porto vs Schalke 04

Kickoff: Wed, 4 2008 2:45 PM ET

Line: Bodog

Pick: Porto -130

Bottom Line: Going into the Champions League riding a losing streak is never a good thing, especially going into Porto territory where they excel at home. Get your UEFA Champions League pick in now!

---