Schalke boss Domenico Tedesco urges his side to ‘take their chance’ against Manchester City as they gear up for Champions League showdown
- Schalke travel to face Man City in the Champions League on Tuesday night
- The Germans must pull off an huge upset after losing the first leg 3-2 in Germany
- Domenico Tedesco has brushed off the pressure and adopted a bullish approach
- Reports in Germany have claimed that the manager is on the brink of the sack
Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco brushed off the pressure and adopted a bullish tone ahead of his side’s daunting Champions League clash at Manchester City.
Reports in Germany have claimed Tedesco is on the brink of the sack after overseeing a dismal campaign in the Bundesliga.
Schalke have failed to live up to expectations after last season’s superb second-place finish and are currently toiling in 14th with work to do to avoid relegation.
Schalke manager Domenico Tedesco speaks during a press conference on Monday morning
Tedesco (centre) put his players through their paces in Manchester on Monday evening
It has even been claimed that it is only due to Schalke’s ongoing presence in the Champions League that the 33-year-old is still in his position.
And that European run is widely expected to come to an end on Tuesday with Schalke going into the second leg of their last-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium trailing 3-2 on aggregate.
Tedesco, however, is refusing to concede defeat.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Manchester, he said: ‘We got onto the plane wanting to use the small chance we’ve got as clear outsiders.
The German outfit put the finishing touches on their preparations at the City Football Academy
Schalke must pull off a huge upset at the Etihad if they are to advance to the quarter-finals
‘We showed in the first leg we are capable of competing with City. We need to play better than we did in the first leg but we want to take that chance.
‘The situation in the league is precarious but nevertheless we are going to try with all our effort. We deserve to be playing in the last 16 of the Champions League.’
Tedesco conveyed positive news of the City fan who was seriously injured in an attack after the first leg in Gelsenkirchen last month. There have been few updates since the incident but the 32-year-old, who remains in hospital in Germany, is believed to be making progress.
Tedesco said: ‘We are really happy that he is on the right way. That was the information we got last week. We are here with him in our minds.’
Tedesco (right) shares a joke with Rabbi Matondo (left) during Monday’s training session