Schalke vs Manchester City Predictions

Schalke may not have had to deal with any of the European heavyweights in their Champions League group this season, but it was by no means an easy task to qualify. They were drawn alongside a trio of respectable opponents in Porto, Galatasaray, and Lokomotiv Moscow, but in the end qualified with room to spare as they beat out Galatasaray by a 7 point margin.

Now things get a lot more difficult for the Bundesliga outfit. They have picked up possibly the most difficult last 16 draw of them all – A clash against the bookies’ favourites for the Champions League, Manchester City.

To make matters worse, Schalke aren’t in great shape at the moment as far as their form is concerned. They have won just 3 of their 9 competitive games since the group stages ended and actually find themselves much closer to the relegation zone than they’d like. Only 8 points separate them from the relegation playoff spot in the Bundesliga, and now they have to face an in form Manchester City side.

The visitors kept their hopes of a clean sweep of trophies alive at the weekend with a 4-1 win over the lowly Newport County in the FA Cup, meaning they have now won 12 of their last 13 games in all competitions. They are top of the Premier League, preparing for a League Cup final, and the favourites for both the Champions League and FA Cup.

Manchester City certainly weren’t at their best earlier on in the campaign, but they have improved drastically over the last couple of months and now look nigh on unstoppable at times. They have scored an incredible 49 goals in their last 13 games, including a 6-0 demolition of Chelsea and notching 9 against Burton Albion.

An impressive 76% of their competitive matches this season have ended with at least 3 goals being scored, and this includes all 6 of their Champions League group games. These group outings averaged 3.67 goals per game, and they’re facing a Schalke side who have seen at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 9 home matches.

This makes backing a Manchester City Win and Over 2.5 Goals bet look a promising option for Wednesday, so that’s what we’re going for along with a 3-1 correct score prediction.