SCHALKE 04 v MANCHESTER CITY
Champions League
Wednesday 20th February 2019
Kickoff: 2000hrs
Pick: Manchester City win and Over 2.5
Bookmaker: Coral
Odds: 1.75 (odds taken at 05:00 GMT, 20 Feb 2019)
The Champions League returns again on Wednesday night with Schalke 04 playing host to Manchester City as the betting tips continue at the VELTINS-Arena on Wednesday night as the first legs of the round of 16 continue.
Champions League Betting at Coral
Schalke 04 Prediction
Schalke 04 finished runners-up to Porto in Group D with 11 points to their name but were adrift of Porto by five points as they enter the knockout stages of the Champions League with a very tough two-legged affair against one of the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy, Manchester City ahead of them.
There’s a feeling that Schalke did just enough to get by during the group stages as they remained unbeaten at home with wins over Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow along with a point against Porto, but they did struggle a little on the road with just the one win in Moscow.
Preparation hasn’t been exactly perfect either for the hosts as they’ve picked up just one win from their last five matches overall in all competitions, while on the domestic front, Schalke occupy a lowly 14th place in the Bundesliga, so confidence may not be as high as it could be in the German club’s camp.
- Schalke 04 have won just 1 of their last 5 matches overall
- Manchester City remained unbeaten away from home in Group F
- Each of Manchester City’s last 9 away matches resulted over 2.5 goals
Manchester City Prediction
Manchester City, on the other hand, have shifted through the gears at just about the right time of the season as they’ve overhauled former Premier League leaders, Liverpool, albeit on goal difference at the top of English top flight.
After a mini slump during December which saw City lose three league matches to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, Manchester City have responded in the style of true champions by eroding what was a seven point deficit domestically, along with progressing through the group stages of this competition by finishing top of Group F by a five point margin over runners-up Lyon.
It’s worth mentioning also, that Manchester City remained unbeaten away from home throughout the group stage with wins at Hoffenheim 2-1 and a 3-0 win at Shahktar Donetsk along with a point in a 2-2 draw at Lyon.
It’s also worth highlighting that each of Manchester city’s last nine away ties in the Champions League have resulted in over 2.5 goals, with City winning five of these.
Betting Tips Verdict
To sum up, this may well be the end of the road for Schalke who face an uphill task of getting the better of a superior Manchester City outfit over two legs, and as we’ve seen before, there’s been plenty of goals when City hit the road. Throw in the fact that the visitors should win this match too, and you have the prediction for this first leg.
