Ace Football previews the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, and offers the latest betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Signal Iduna Park will play host to the 157th Revierderby between rivals Borussia Dortmund and Schalke on Saturday evening.
The two Ruhr-based sides head into the showdown on the back of contrasting starts to their respective campaigns, with Dortmund sitting third in the Bundesliga. Schalke, meanwhile, are second-bottom and already on their second manager.
It doesn’t help either that the Royal Blues’ last encounter against Dortmund ended in a 4-0 loss back in May.
Schalke, therefore, are the natural underdogs heading into their latest derby with Dortmund. They’ll likely attempt to play deep and frustrate their foes. But will that be enough? With the high-flying young talent in the hosts’ ranks, goals are near-constant wherever they go.
Borussia Dortmund Form & Stats
Lucien Favre’s side suffered a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in their midweek Champions League opener. While Erling Haaland was on target in Rome, they were comprehensively beaten in the Italian capital. Now it’s about picking themselves up for their latest Bundesliga clash.
Another hot-headed affair is expected at Signal Iduna Park, even if only 300 fans can attend. Therefore, Dortmund will be determined to not disappoint the home crowd. And with attacking talents, such as Haaland and Jadon Sancho, in their ranks, they’re expected to do just that.
Although Favre will still be short in defensive options as the injury list continues to grow. Marcel Schmelzer, Dan-Axel Zagadou, and Nico Schulz are all out. Therefore, Thomas Delaney may deputize as a center-back once more.
Key Team Stats
- Have won to nil in three of their last four league games.
- Over 2.5 goals in five of their last six home games against Schalke in all competitions.
- Over 2.5 goals in their last three home league games.
Schalke Form & Stats
2020 has literally been a disaster for the visitors on all fronts, having not won a league game since January 17. That’s a run of 20 games without victory (D7 L13) to leave them in a battle for survival this season.
Schalke have already replaced manager David Wagner in favor of Manuel Baum. The former Augsburg coach has only been in charge for two games, but he has already ended the club’s six-match losing streak through last weekend’s 1-1 home draw against Union Berlin.
Although Union Berlin dominated large periods of the game, and it wasn’t until past the hour-mark that Schalke got a shot on target. While Frederik Ronnow, who replaced the injured Ralf Fahrmann in goal, pulled off some decent saves. So, all in all, it was a fortunate point for Baum’s side.
The Royal Blues boss, meanwhile, confirmed in his pre-match conference that Fahrmann, Suat Serdar, and Mark Uth are unavailable to face Dortmund. He also expressed plans to use the ‘Gegenpressing’ method, which is a famed German counter-pressing philosophy.
Key Team Stats
- Conceded at least four goals in their last three away league games.
- Winless in their last 20 league games (D7 L13).
- Over 2.5 goals scored in seven of their last eight away league games.
- Failed to score in their last three away league games.
Team News
Borussia Dortmund: Marcel Schmelzer, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Emre Can, & Nico Schulz (all out); Manuel Akanji (doubt).
Schalke: Ralf Fahrmann, Suat Serdar, Mark Uth, & Ozan Kabak (all out).
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top goalscorers in last five matches
Head-To-Head Record
Dortmund vs Schalke League Stats
First Team To Score
Match Facts
Betting Tips
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