Champions League team profiles: Manchester City v Schalke

Man City profile

How they qualified
Pep Guardiola's side conceded first in four of their six matches and had to battle harder than the odds suggested to seal top spot after losing at home to Lyon on matchday one. City were also unlucky at times, hitting the woodwork on eight occasions.

Form
Successive defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester either side of Christmas rocked City but a sizzling 6-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday means they have scored 45 goals in their last 12 games.

Winter transfer action
Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) and Rabbi Matondo (Schalke) left.

Prospects
City deserve to be favourites and not just because they have hit the jackpot by drawing Schalke in the last 16. Guardiola's side are irresistible when in the groove, but it's a competitive heat so there is temptation at the prices to look elsewhere.

Schalke profile

How they qualified
The European stage proved a welcome respite from a terrible start to the Bundesliga, although Schalke were still the lowest scorers to qualify with just six goals. And it was a shocking group with Porto, Lokomotiv Moscow and Galatasaray.

Form
Schalke, beaten 3-1 by Bayern on Saturday, are still stuck in the bottom half of the Bundesliga and have not kept a domestic clean sheet since October 28, a run of 14 matches.

Winter transfer action
Experienced centre-back Naldo headed to Monaco and Franco Di Santo departed to Rayo Vallecano with Welsh youngster Rabbi Matondo joining defender Jeffrey Bruma in Gelsenkirchen.

Prospects
Bleak. Schalke are the worst team left in the competition and they have drawn City, who were seen by many as the most likely winners of the Champions League even before the draw.

Schedule

First leg: Veltins-Arena (Gelsenkirchen), February 20
Second leg: Etihad (Manchester), March 12.

TV details

All matches are on BT Sport.

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