Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke 04 - Preview & Prediction
By Valdis Pans
Trailing the top spot of the Bundesliga by mere four points, Borussia Dortmund gets back to action with a home game against Schalke 04, who have failed to triumph in any of their past seven outings. Kick-off - at 9:30 AM ET on Saturday.
Dortmund Edge the Top Spot
After winning Bundesliga back-to-back in 2010-11 and ’11-12, Borussia Dortmund has finished 2nd in four of the last seven seasons, still looking for their ninth-highest accolade in Germany. Currently, the team once again sits 2nd in the league standings with 51 points from 25 contests (W15 D6 L4), chasing the 1st-placed Bayern Munich by mere four points. Both teams, though, will face each other for the last time this year on May 26 in Dortmund, where Die Schwarzgelben are yet to lose in any competition this season, going W13 D4, netting 50 snipes while allowing just 15 markers in total.
Jadon Sancho (14 goals, 15 assists), Marco Reus (11 goals, 5 assists) and Norwegian wunderkind Erling Haaland (9 goals in just 5 starts and 8 appearances for Borussia) top Dortmund’s scoring chart. Goalie Roman Burki, meanwhile, has stopped 39 shots, ranking 19th in Bundesliga in most saves, having taken part in 22 outings this season. He has eight clean sheets and gives up a goal every 61 minutes on average. The team is 2nd in most goals scored (68), 5th in most shots fired (351), and enjoys 58.5% of ball possession per game on average.
Schalke Looking For Victories
Starting the current rolling year with the ex-Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner at the helm of proceedings, Schalke 04 embarked on the 2019-20 campaign with a view to finishing in the Top 6, where it has ended up in six of the past eight seasons. Bettering last year’s 14th position shouldn’t be a problem for the Konigsblauen, who is presently sitting 6th in the Bundesliga with 37 points from 25 games (W9 D10 L6), just one point ahead of the 7th-placed Wolfsburg. Schalke 04’s recent form is a bit of a concern, though, as the team has failed to win any of its last seven contests (D4 L3), winning just once since Dec. 18 (W1 D6 L3).
Only three players have scored more than three league goals for the team this season, with Suat Serdar (7 strikes), Amine Harit (6) and Benito Raman (4) sharing the spoils. Goalie Alexander Nubel, who has agreed to join Bayern Munich on a free transfer at the end of the current season, is 12th in most saves (66) after notching up 20 starts this year. He has six clean sheets in the Bundesliga and allows a goal every 66 minutes. Schalke 04 are 6th in the least goals netted so far (33), 3rd from the bottom in shots (283), and have registered an average of 50.8% of ball possession.
Prediction
The Revierderby, the clash between the two biggest soccer clubs of the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, is arguably the main attraction of the first Bundesliga matchday since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Borussia Dortmund needs a win to keep up with Bayern Munich, who leads Germany’s top tier by four points. Schalke 04, meanwhile, are 6th, but just one point ahead of the 7th-placed Wolfsburg. Five of the last eight contests between the two sides have ended with a stalemate. Still, do expect the hosts to deliver in this one! With all upcoming Bundesliga games set to be played behind closed doors, the lack of fans at Westfalenstadion will definitely be visible. Still, Borussia Dortmund is the only Bundesliga team yet to lose on its own turf, while Schalke 04 have gone without an away victory for six straight road fixtures (D3 L3), failing to score a single goal on their past four travels.
Best bet:
Borussia Dortmund to win (-185)
Erling Haaland (Dortmund) to score anytime (-120)
