Valencia vs Schalke – Hosts can secure rare German victory
Published:Valencia may not have the greatest home record in Europe against German opposition, but they are worth supporting at 8/11 to beat Schalke in the first leg of their Champions League second round showdown.
Match Odds
Unai Emery’s team have failed to win any of their last six home games against German visitors, with their last success coming against Bayern Munich in 1996.
However, Valencia are currently enjoying a strong recent run of form as they have lost just one of their last 12 fixtures in all competitions and seven of their last eight in La Liga.
Meanwhile, Valencia also have Ricardo Costa in their ranks, which could prove a benefit as he played under current Schalke coach Felix Magath at Wolfsburg, which could offer an advantage tactically.
Schalke are 4/1 in the Champions League betting to beat Valencia and they have begun to turn their season around of late after a troubled start.
But it could be the draw that represents the best value at 5/2 as this has been the final outcome on the last two occasions that Schalke have visited the Mestalla.
Over/Under 2.5 goals
Keeping things tight has been a feature in Schalke’s most recent ventures in the Champions League and therefore it may be worth taking advantage of the 8/13 that fewer than 2.5 goals are scored in their trip to Valencia.
The only other occasion when Schalke reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in 2008, all four of their games witnessed just one goal scored, which included a trip to Spain to face Barcelona.
Furthermore, four of Valencia’s last six fixtures in all competitions have seen no more than two goals scored.
A £25 stake on the scorecast of Valencia winning 1-0 and Roberto Soldado scoring would return £550. New customers can sign up here for a free £25 bet.
