Schalke 04 welcome the visitors Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League Group Stage – Round 6. The match will be held on Tuesday, December 11th at the Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen).
The boring match and the win during the last minutes – this is what sticks out the most while considering the first opponents’ head-to-head in Moscow. The hosts had no particular goal scoring opportunities, they had just one shot at goal in two halves, and we don’t expect they will have any chances away now. Let’s better consider the teams’ motivation as far as the tournament position is concerned. Schalke are not motivated. A loss will not shift them down to the 3rd place, while a win will still leave them on the 2nd line. How about the financial factor and the fans? Gelsenkirchen is not an easy location to play in general. The hosts conceded just thrice in their 8 home matches. In the Champions League group stage, they lost to Porto only.
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As for Lokomotiv Moscow, they face a must-win match, as only a win will enable them to parachute to the Europa League, given that Galatasaray win over the group leader Porto. The situation looks desperate, taking into account Semin’s men’s away results in the last 5 rounds – nothing short of a miracle can help them progress to the next stage. Lokomotiv cannot boast good away performance throughout the season, counting only 3 wins in 12 matches. Consider their opponents in the winning clashes – Yenisey, Krylia Sovetov, and CSKA which they have won quite unfairly. Their play against strong opponents is weak, mind the defeats to Zenit, Spartak, Krasnodar, and generally failing clashes with Galatasaray and Porto.
The Germans’ defensive line deserves credit. Schalke have conceded just 4 goals, all being at the hands of the champion of Portugal. The home game factor will also favor the hosts and motivate them, for sure. On their travels, Lokomotiv have made just 1 goal, losing 7. This is not for nothing that bookies consider Schalke favorite in the coming match – it is rather logical. We are not сonfident if the hosts manage to win on Tuesday, but they should not concede anyways. Of their last 11 matches, Lokomotiv did not allow goals in 4 only. So, we’d better count on the hosts’ win.
Prediction for the match: Schalke 04 to win with 0.0 handicap.
