Manchester City will look to continue their stellar goalscoring form when they travel to Gelsenkirchen to face FC Schalke in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Premier League giants are coming on the back of four consecutive wins in all competitions, during which they have scored as many as 15 goals.
Meanwhile, here are three key battles that could decide the outcome of this important first-leg clash between these two sides.
Sebastian Rudy vs Kevin de Bruyne
If there was anything to take away from Manchester City’s terrific 6-0 win over Chelsea other than Aguero’s brilliance, was that Kevin de Bruyne is slowly getting back his groove after returning from a couple of injury setbacks.
The Belgian international provided dollops of creativity going forward and his combination with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva was simply impeccable.
And after being rested in Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Newport Country, it is guaranteed that the former Wolfsburg midfielder will play a key role against Schalke this week.
Therefore, the onus will be on Sebastian Rudy to prevent the Belgian from finding freedom in the middle of the park. The former Bayern Munich midfielder was also believed to be a transfer target for Manchester City and thus, he will also be keen on making an impression this week.
Matija Nastasic/Salif Sane vs Sergio Aguero
The lack of defensive solidity has been one of the main reasons behind Schalke’s form this season. And the faulty defensive combination of Matija Nastasic and Salif Sane will be dealt with arguably their biggest challenge of the season as they face Sergio Aguero this week.
The Argentine forward is in splendid form at the moment, notably scoring hattricks in wins over Chelsea and Arsenal. He was given a rest in the win over Newport but his sharp movements and clever link-up play with teammates could certainly cause problems aplenty for the Schalke backline on Wednesday.
Thus, it’s probably fair to say that the outcome of this duel will go a long way in shaping the conclusion of this high-octane encounter.
Daniel Caligiuri vs Oleksandr Zinchenko
Despite missing the services of Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph, it’s likely that Guardiola will look to take full advantage of the left-sided overload in an attempt to expose the attack-minded Schalke fullback, Daniel Caligiuri.
The former Wolfsburg star has often been criticized for his lack of defensive astuteness and thus, the onus will be on the young Oleksandr Zinchenko to provide the attacking support from the left-flank whilst keeping Caligiuri occupied throughout the course of the 90 minutes.
However, the young Ukrainian will certainly need to be wary of Caligiuri’s darting runs as it could potentially spark a counter-attacking opportunity for the hosts – making this arguably the most intriguing personal duel in this encounter.
