Schalke coach Mirko Slomka believes that his players' over-rated perception of Spanish giants Barcelona was a key factor in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to the Catalans. An early strike from teenage sensation Bojan Krkic gave Barca a clear advantage over the Bundesliga outfit. However, Schalke were close to leveling the scoring in the second half, as Slomka hopes his side can make amends to missed opportunities in the return leg at Nou Camp. "Our respect for them lasted for far too long at the start but in the second half we were much more courageous and created a lot of opportunities," Slomka said after the game. "We knew we would have our chances as they have been shipping a lot of goals recently. "Obviously we can't start thinking we can play like that for 90 minutes in Barcelona, but on the evidence of the second half I believe we still have a chance. We just have to seize it. "In the Champions League you have to capitalize on chances like the ones we had. "Unfortunately, some of our creative players were injured today and we missed them. Maybe one or two will return for the second leg which would help." Schalke missed Ivan Rakitic and Albert Streit through injury, while midfielder Jermain Jones was suspended.