Manchester City vs Schalke 04
There are only a few brave souls who would bravely try to bet against Manchester City at this point of the season. The defending Premier League champions have already secured the EFL Cup and are hungry to achieve the quadruple.
It also doesn’t make sense to try and bet against them this early in the Champions League knockout stages. They have performed well in the group stages and should have more than enough star power in their insanely deep roster to make it as far as the semi-finals.
However, the last couple of Champions League 2019 results have taught us to not immediately trust all of the positive buzz going about City. There’s enough reason for Schalke to fancy their chances ahead of this do-or-die match, and the SBOBET football team will make the deep dive with you.
Talking Points
Can City keep it all together?
Pep Guardiola and rest of the Sky Blues are good at making it seem like they are handling everything with style and poise. Considered one of the best teams in the competition, almost every opponent they will face throughout the remaining games of the season will face them with caution and an intention to make an upset.
Every single City fan and their mother knows that they owe their fantastic years to one man. Pep Guardiola has led this team to be the indomitable giants that they are today. The Catalan manager’s managerial skills are so good that he is constantly being linked to other high-profile jobs in Europe.
I doubt that Guardiola will ever be tempted to leave the Etihad, though. He has a wealth of players that he cannot find anywhere else in the world, and this scribe believes that he can easily win the Champions League with this team.
However, City’s road to domination hasn’t been as easy as many predicted. For example, their most recent league victories against Bournemouth and Watford are proof that even the best teams in the league struggle.
The squad is also stretched thin when it comes to players that they can field to play. With the fixtures coming hot and heavy for the Sky Blues, Guardiola knows that it’s impossible for them to not drop any points. Nicolas Otamendi’s suspension, alongside injuries to Fernandinho and John Stones, leave the club a bit weak on the defensive end.
However, they do have some brilliant attackers that are the reason for their ridiculously great Champions League 2019 odds. Leroy Sane is slowly working his way to becoming a top player and will be a problem for his former club. David Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, and Sergio Aguero are also going to be a tough defensive assignment for Domenico Tedesco’s men.
Can Schalke pull off another giant-killing?
If there’s anything fascinating about the latest knockout stage of the Champions League, it’s the fact that there have been two very high-profile upsets that have completely rattled how the competition is looking moving forward.
Ajax ended Real Madrid’s chokehold on European domination as they upstaged the defending champions in front of Madrid fans who have had the worst week of their lives. City’s intra-city rivals, Manchester United, also broke French hearts in the City of Lights when they conquered a confident PSG team at the Parc des Princes.
The number of giant-killings that happened last week gave many a seasoned SBOBET punter that more of the same can happen here. They look at this match with much interest, but hopes that they can keep the trend going is slim if we take their most recent matches to consideration.
Schalke have struggled to win games this season, and it’s a minor miracle that Tedesco’s team is not in the relegation zone with a depressing quality of play that didn’t reflect their superb performance this season.
However, there’s always hope that things will turn for the better. Nabil Bentaleb was a key man in the team’s impressive stand against City and will be surely called for again when the game kicks off. However, Benjamin Stambouli, Salif Sane, and the rest of the backline must be able to hold out against the very prolific attack of the Sky Blues.
History
The two clubs have only met each other in knockout stages of European competitions, the first being the 2007/08 Europa League campaign. Thanks to goals from Stephen Ireland and Benjani Mwaruwari, they managed to win that game at a comfortable 2-0 scoreline.
However, their latest meeting was a less-than-comfortable experience for the hosts. The first leg was won by City, but Die Konigsblauen put up a battling performance that saw City sweat throughout the 90 minutes they played in Germany.
Betting Tip
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Manchester City vs Schalke 04 | Schalke 04 Asian Handicap +2.00 @ 2.29 |
| March 13, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
There should be no reason for Manchester City to lose this second-leg. I’m sure that Pep has drilled to the minds of his players what will happen if they approached this match with the same level of complacency displayed by Madrid and PSG. The last thing Guardiola wants is to happen is have his City side included in the embarrassing list.
However, I don’t think Schalke will just roll over, either. Their season may have been less than ideal as of late, but I’m sure that the team wants their fans who will make the trip to Manchester to witness a grand football game where their team will play their hearts out for ninety minutes.
The game is pretty much one for City to lose, and there’s a reason to believe that Pep will be rotating his squad in preparation for their upcoming matches. The game could end in a goalless or 1-1 draw. It could also become a 1-0 win for the Sky Blues.
Keep your eyes on this space for more updates and news on the Champions League!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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