Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke: Bundesliga: Match Preview and Prediction

Hear me and rejoice! After a long hiatus of almost two months, football is finally back with the Bundesliga set to start from today. 

In the blockbuster fixture of the day, Borussia Dortmund will host Schalke 04 in an invigorating Revierderby. This fixture is fiercely contested as the two teams from the Ruhr region fight it out for supremacy.

Dortmund have been decent this season and currently sit second in the table with 51 points to their name. The star studded team is set to give Bayern a run for their money for the Bundesliga title.

Schalke, on the other hand, are far away from their illustrious past. They sit at a lowly sixth and are 14 points behind Dortmund, which shows the difference between these two sides.

Derby Stats

Total matches- 155

Schalke- 60 wins

Dortmund- 52 wins

Drawn- 43

Largest victory:- Schalke 10-0 Dortmund (1940)

Recent form

Dortmund- WWWW

Schalke- DLLD

Team News

For Dortmund, their star player and captain, Marco Reus is still recovering from a nagging muscle injury. Also, Emre Can, Axel Witsel and Nico Schulz will miss the derby with muscle injuries.

For Schalke, their highest scorer, Suat Serdar has recovered from a broken toe. Omar Mascarell and Ozan Kabak are probably out for the season.

Last time out

They played out a dull 0-0 draw earlier this season at the VELTINS-Arena. Both Schalke and Borussia Dortmund had chances to win it, but neither were able to take them.

Key battles

Jadon Sancho vs Jean-Clair Todibo

Sancho is the leading scorer and assist provider for the Black and Yellow this season. He is also the only player in Europe’s top five leagues to record double digits in both goals and assists this season.

The Englishman has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the world ever since he reached the German shores. The 20-year old has already scored a thrilling winner in this fixture.

The French centre-back on loan from Barcelona will have his hands full as he faces a marauding Sancho. His tough tackling attitude and interception ability will come in handy for this task.

He has made some phenomenal displays in the couple of games that he has played so far. It will be his first Revierderby and he will surely like to leave his mark.

Achraf Hakimi  vs Amine Harit

The Moroccan international has impressed one and all with his attacking prowess this season. The Real Madrid loanee has already scored seven goals and has made 10 assists for his teammates. 

These numbers are amazing considering the fact that he is primarily a defender. He would like to continue with this form to help Dortmund reach the top.

Hakimi will come up against his international teammate Harit. The 22-year old is the second highest goal scorer and second highest assist provider for Schalke.

This battle will be interesting to watch as these two teammates give their all to have the boasting rights.

Prediction

Dortmund has won seven out of their last eight matches in the Bundesliga and have kept a clean sheet in their last three home matches. 

In contrast, Schalke has failed to win in their last seven matches in the league. In addition to this, they have failed to score in their last four away matches. 

However, it is important to note that Dortmund’s home advantage with the daunting yellow wall goes out of the window as no fans are allowed inside the stadium due to the coronovirus outbreak.

In spite of this, things look bleak for ‘The Royal Blues’ as they come up against this phenomenal Dortmund side brimming with confidence.

Score Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Schalke