Andy's Wednesday tips - Man Utd will win
It's hard to make a case for Schalke to somehow get back into this tie. Not just because Manchester United's home record this season has been that good; but also because in the first leg Schalke were that bad.
While this is a team who have knocked out two massively experienced Champions League sides in Valencia and Inter Milan in the previous rounds, they were incapable of keeping possession in Gelsenkirchen, much less creating any real chances.
Manchester United did admittedly play very well themselves and found a great rhythm to their passing early on but that's only because Schalke let them and weren't capable of closing down the danger men such as Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Javier Hernandez. The Mexican front man could have scored a hat-trick on another day.
They have a big match coming up at the weekend against Chelsea. Though a defeat in that would still leave them with a great chance of winning the title, a win for Sir Alex's men would all but end Chelsea's hopes of defending their Premier League crown.
The Manchester United manager has already said that Wayne Rooney is likely to be rested for Wednesday's match and we may see a couple more regular starters get a breather but don't let that put you off backing another home win.
Rooney's absence should mean a recall for Dimitar Berbatov, who just happens to be the Premier League's top scorer, and if Michael Owen gets a game in place of Hernandez, he'll be eyeing up a couple of goals to put him in contention to play some sort of part in Sunday's game.
Nani will probably start too and this is the sort of match where I can see him putting in a big performance, and getting on the scoresheet.
Schalke have had a good run in this competition and it's been a welcome relief to the fans who have had to endure a pretty disappointing time on the domestic front.
The campaign will also boost the German club's coffers and that may mean a couple of new faces in the squad at the start of the next campaign. But their Champions League adventure ends at Old Trafford and I'd be surprised that, if even with a slightly depleted team, it doesn't end in a comfortable win for Manchester United.
Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester United to win at [1.49]
Back Nani to score at [4.0]
Back Manchester United to win 3-1 at [14.0]
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 4 May 2011
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