Manchester
City came from behind to defeat Schalke 3-2 in their Champions League last-16
first leg tie. The Cityzens have plenty of momentum as they head into their
second leg fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
Meanwhile,
Schalke are in terrible form and their loss to Manchester City has only
compounded their problems this season. Schalke sit just four points above the
relegation playoff place in the Bundesliga. They have not won since January
20th in the league. That is a span of seven matches without a win.
Manager
Pep Guardiola will have centre-back Aymeric Laporte available for selection for
the fixture. The centre-back returned to action over the weekend, but was
kept out of the game to prevent reaggravating his recently healed injury. His
return will be a big boost as Manchester City continue to fight on three
fronts.
John Stones,
Kevin De Bruyne, and Fernandinho all missed Manchester City’s match against
Watford. De Bruyne has had a start-stop season due to injuries. His nearly
non-stop play for the last year-plus has helped lead to injury issues. The
Belgian playmaker could be held out against Schalke to preserve him for the
rest of the season.
Schalke
are in a terrible state currently. When the last-16 draws were handed out, many football insiders
believed Manchester City had received the easiest draw of the round. Although
the first leg ended 3-2, Schalke’s collapse was typical of results this term.
Schalke’s
weekend 4-2 loss to Werder Bremen only increased the pressure on young manager
Domenico Tedesco. Schalke have allowed 14 goals in their last four matches in
all competitions. The team has been a nightmare in defence. On Friday night,
they allowed four goals to Werder Bremen as the latter came from behind to win.
Although
Manchester City have won their last three matches post-Champions league first
leg against Schalke, they not looked themselves. The Cityzens had put on dreary
displays until the last 45 minutes of their win over Watford on Saturday.
Manchester City have won nine straight matches in all competitions. They are in
fine form and scoring goals. Schalke should pose little threat at the Etihad on
Tuesday night thanks to the differing form the two sides are in.
Guardiola’s team
will be far too strong for their struggling German opponents at the Etihad. The
Cityzens have better players in each position even with several stars
unavailable through injury.Manchester
City will win on Tuesday night and progress to the quarterfinals.
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