Schalke on the verge of extending eight-game unbeaten run as Leverkusen visits.
Schalke 04 vs
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
The Royal Blues look to extend their eight-game unbeaten run and escape the relegation zone as they clash with the in-form Company's Eleven at Veltins-Arena.
Schalke 04
A last-gasp effort by Marius Bülter in the 93rd minute from the penalty spot saw Schalke salvage a point in their 1-1 draw with ten-man Augsburg. Ermedin Demirović received a red card in the 53rd minute, just two minutes after Arne Maier had put Augsburg in the lead.
The draw saw Schalke pick up nine points from their last five games (DWWDD) while sitting in 17th place. The team has accumulated 21 points from 4 wins, 9 draws, and 12 losses heading into the weekend, where they hope to pick up three more points in a desperate attempt to exit the bottom two.
Staying up remains a *top priority* for the Miners, who only recently got promoted from the 2. Bundesliga, where they finished as champions last season. They remain unbeaten (2 wins, 6 draws, 0 losses) in the second half of this Bundesliga season and hope to extend their eight-game unbeaten run.
Furthermore, Schalke are unbeaten in their last four Bundesliga home games (1 win, 3 draws, 0 losses). However, surprisingly, the home side has the worst attack in the league, scoring only 21 goals in 25 Bundesliga games (0.84 goals per game).
Thomas Reis will need to squeeze as much as he can out of his misfiring center-forwards, whose combined efforts have produced only five goals all season. A 4-3-3 formation with Michael Frey at the center of the attacking trio alongside Simon Terodde and Marius Bülter is anticipated for Saturday’s clash.
Meanwhile, a lengthy injury list leaves Schalke without as many as seven players, including Kenan Karaman (muscular) and Polter (knee).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
An astonishing series of events saw Bayer Leverkusen snatch a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich last time out at BayArena, with Exequiel Palacios scoring twice from the spot after VAR's intervention. The victory saw Die Werkself move up to 8th place, having accumulated 37 points from 11 wins, 4 draws, and 10 losses.
The visitors have three victories in a row and hope to extend their four-game unbeaten run to five when they take on Schalke. Leverkusen have won 35 games against Schalke in the Bundesliga and remain unbeaten in seven league games against the Royal Blues.
Xabi Alonso’s remarkable impact at the club leaves him with 13 victories after 24 games in charge. On Saturday, he will be without Charles Aránguiz and Patrik Schick, planning to line up in a 4-3-3 formation with Florian Wirtz, Moussa Diaby, and Amine Adli in attack.
