Manchester City have been drawn with Schalke in the Champions League last 16 and director of football Txiki Begiristain has insisted they are not taking their German opponent lightly.
City had a bumpy ride in the group stage as they lost to Lyon in the Champions League and huffed and puffed to get the better of Hoffenheim in both the matches.
City looked flawless in the Premier League but their defeat against Chelsea handed them a severe jolt in their title aspirations as Liverpool took the pole position leapfrogging them from the top.
Given Jurgen Klopp’s side’s recent performance City do have a very tough task to cut out if they are to defend their Premier League crown. Begiristain said, “We have suffered a lot against Hoffenheim in the group phase (a pair of hard-fought 2-1 wins) and we know how hard it is going to be.
“They are struggling a bit in the league, because maybe they have done very well in the Champions League.
“We cannot let them run. We have to be good in the boxes and try to keep control of the game. We will try to keep the ball.
 “We are happy and confident and the most important thing is that we will try to go through in this competition.”
