City needed late goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling to escape the first leg with a 3-2 victory, which puts them in a commanding position ahead of the return fixture on Tuesday.
MADNESSSSSSSSSSS!! @sterling7!!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 20, 2019
2-3 #s04vcity ⚽️ #mancity pic.twitter.com/jdozHi8F6b
However, the visitors will be buoyed by the knowledge that they can create plenty of chances against Pep Guardiola's side, and they will certainly look to take the game to the reigning Premier League champions.
Check out 90min's preview of the game below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Tuesday 12 February |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Etihad Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 2 |
Referee? | Clement Turpin |
Team News
Guardiola will be keen to welcome John Stones back from injury, with Nicolas Otamendi suspended following his red card in the first leg. City will also have to do without Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo, who are all injured.
As for Schalke, they will be without Alessandro Schopf, Omar Mascarell and Daniel Caligiuri, all of whom have been ruled out through injury. Goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann could continue his run in the Champions League, with current first-choice shot stopper Alexander Nubel returning to the bench.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City | Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Kompany, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, David Silva; Sane, Aguero, Sterling. |
Schalke | Fahrmann; Riether, Bruma, Nastasic, Sane, Oczipka; Bentaleb, Serdar; Mendyl, Embolo, McKennie. |
Head to Head Record
The last match between the two sides was a breathtaking affair. It had plenty of lead changes, penalty drama, late goals and even a red card, but it was City who came out on top, recording their third victory over Schalke in four matches.
In fact, Schalke's only victory over City came in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. However, they have only failed to score against City once, in a 2-0 defeat in 2008, and they will need to maintain that record if they are to salvage something from this tie.
Recent Form
City come into this match on a perfect run of form. They have won their last nine matches, including victories over both Arsenal and Chelsea. Their latest match saw City secure a comfortable 3-1 victory over Watford, thanks to an impressive hat-trick from Sterling.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Schalke's form could hardly be worse. The loss to City in the first leg started a run of four consecutive defeats for the Bundesliga side, and they will have their work cut out for them if they are to avoid stretching that run to five games.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five games:
Manchester City | Schalke |
Manchester City 3-1 Watford (9/3) | Werder Bremen 4-2 Schalke (8/3) |
Bournemouth 0-1 Manchester City (2/3) | Schalke 0-4 Fortuna Dusseldorf (2/3) |
Manchester City 1-0 West Ham United (27/2) | Mainz 3-0 Schalke (23/2) |
Chelsea 0-0 (p) Manchester City (24/2) | Schalke 2-3 Manchester City (20/2) |
Schalke 2-3 Manchester City (20/2) | Schalke 0-0 Freiburg (16/2) |
Prediction
After winning in the first leg, City will certainly be confident of advancing in the competition with a positive result on Tuesday. Their three away goals will provide a sizeable cushion, and things would need to go disastrously wrong for City to lose this tie.
However, just because Schalke lost the first leg at home, that does not mean they are automatically out (just ask Ajax and Manchester United). They managed to grab two goals against City last time out, and they will need at least the same number if they are to win this tie overall.
Unfortunately for Schalke, this task looks to be a step too far for them. Guardiola's side are on a stunning run of form, and they will do all it takes to extend that even further.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Schalke
Source : 90min