"There is a danger as everyone thinks Schalke don't have a chance, and though it's an away game, we're expected to dominate. Schalke have nothing to lose u00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0094 we have a lot. That raises the pressure on us."
Ilkay Gundogan
Having been rejected at the age of eight by Schalke, Ilkay Gundogan, is relishing returning here with Manchester City in what could potentially be a one-sided Champions League clash tonight. While Pep Guardiola's high-flying City are top the Premier League table, their opponents in the last 16, first-leg clash, Schalke, are just above Bundesliga's relegation places and struggling to score goals down in 14th place.
Like City's Germany winger Leroy Sane, Gundogan, 28, began his career at Schalke's academy, but despite having been rejected as a child after only one season, there will be no element of revenge come kick-off at the Veltins Arena. "I have [forgiven them], but it wasn't always so," Gundogan told German magazine Kicker with a grin.
"At the time, due to growth spurts, I had physical problems and couldn't play any sports for six months, so I dropped out. Three or four years later, Schalke tried to contact me, but I was a bit resentful."
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Gundogan ended up playing for local club Hessler, joining Bochum as a junior before playing Bundesliga football for Nuremberg. He then spent five years at Borussia Dortmund from where he joined City in 2016. On paper, City could run riot in Germany, but Gundogan insists the Mancunians will take nothing for granted. "There is a danger as everyone thinks Schalke don't have a chance, and though it's an away game, we're expected to dominate. Schalke have nothing to lose — we have a lot. That raises the pressure on us."
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