Schalke vs Lokomotiv Moscow Predictions

Schalke have already made their way into the last 16, despite their torrid domestic form. The German side have secured second place behind Porto, and they have little to play for as the Champions League wraps up for a winter break. Lokomotiv Moscow have an outside chance of making the Europa League in 2019, but they would need an unlikely win on Tuesday night, something we struggle to see given the relative form of both sides.

Schalke have found some redemption in Europe this season. They’ve lost out on top spot to Porto, but their start in the Bundesliga made us doubt that they’d make the top two. Arguably the German side can thank a favourable draw for their progression, especially given that eight points has been enough to put them out of reach. The likes of Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow have barely been in contention to qualify from this group, but will that lack of quality hand the Germans another three points here?

The visitors will need to win in this one and hope Galatasaray fail to win at home to Porto to go through. However, the visitors’ have an away record which doesn’t exactly inspire hope. They’ve claimed just three points from their five games so far, while domestically their title hopes are suffering. They sit fifth in the Russian Premier League, so it’s been far from a stellar season for Lokomotiv. They come here aiming to secure a future in Europe this term, but Schalke are going to be a tough test for the visitors.

Given how the hosts have enjoyed their European campaign, we don’t expect them to take this one lightly. They come into the clash aiming to secure another victory in the Champions League before the campaign is out. The hosts have won three of their last four home games, only going down to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Meanwhile, the visitors have lost five of their last six games in this competition. They’ve failed to win 11 away trips in the Champions League, losing eight of those. They were beaten by a three goal margin in their last two trips in this group. We fully expect the hosts to add to that run. Schalke have won five of their seven previous games on MD6 of the Champions League, more than they have on any other matchday in the competition. We see them extending their impressive final day record, as we’re backing them for three points here.