Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info

Borussia Dortmund welcome Schalke to the Westfalendstadion on Saturday in the first Revierderby of 2015 and the first real domestic challenge for Jurgen Klopp's side since their recent upturn in form. 

The Royal Blues have, of course, looked impressive of late too, with just one defeat in their last six Bundesliga games helping Roberto Di Matteo's side march to fourth place in the German top division. 

Both sides have struggled in the Champions League over the past couple of weeks, with Schalke losing to Real Madrid and Dortmund to Juventus, meaning both will be desperate to turn around their fortunes in one of Germany's biggest rivalries. 

Date: Saturday, February 28

Time: 14:30 p.m. GMT / 9:30 a.m. ET

Venue: Westfalenstadion, Dortmund

TV Info: Gol TV (U.S. only)

Live Stream: Gol TV live stream (U.S. only)

Borussia Dortmund	Bayer Leverkusen—Draw	Augsburg—Loss	Freiburg—Won	Mainz—Won	Stuttgart—Won
Schalke 04	Hannover—Won	Bayern Munich—Draw	Gladbach—Won	Eintracht Frankfurt—Loss	Werder Bremen—Draw

Predicted Lineups

B/R

As we can see from the graphic above, Klopp is likely to go with Roman Weidenfeller in goal, while Oliver Kirch, Marcel Schmelzer, Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels will be Dortmund's defensive line. Kirch, making his first start of 2015, will come in for the injured Lukasz Piszczek.

We should see some familiar faces in midfield, with Ilkay Gundogan and Nuri Sahin in the centre of the pitch and Shinji Kagawa coming in for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jakub Blaszczykowski taking the place of Ciro Immobile.

Marco Reus will keep his favoured spot on the left, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moves up front as the lone striker. 

Di Matteo is expected to stick with a similar starting XI too, with young Timon Wellenreuther in goal behind a back three of Matija Nastasic, Roman Neustadter and Benedikt Howedes. 

The Royal Blues will deploy a midfield four across the pitch with Marco Hoger and Dennis Aogo in the centre of the pitch and Christian Fuchs out left and Tranquillo Barnetta out right.

Kevin-Prince Boateng will most likely take up the No. 10 role, with Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Eric Choupo-Moting playing as the front pairing.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Players to Watch

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Dortmund's recent turn in form and march up the league table has been fueled by a surge in goals, and at the heart of that revolution in front of goal has been Aubameyang. 

The Gabon striker has scored four goals in his last four games in all competitions and will undoubtedly be starting up front on Saturday with every intention of adding to his tally. 

Matija Nastasic

Schalke will go into Saturday's game with a considerable chunk of their front line missing through injury, meaning Di Matteo will rely on his defensive system to keep his team in the game. 

At the heart of that stubborn back line will be Manchester City loanee Matija Nastasic. Schalke's new central defender is a player who has quickly become a must start for the team.

Key Battles

Aubameyang vs. Nastasic 

It may seem like something of a cop out to consider the two players we just mentioned, but in truth, Dortmund's most potent attacker is most likely to find himself up against Schalke's Serbian defender for much of the match.

Although Aubameyang will most likely play up front, he does enjoy drifting out wide to the right-hand side, where Nastastic will undoubtedly be placed in the Schalke back line. They will both battle it out to see just who can get the better of their opponent and win the match.

Huntelaar vs. Hummels

At the other end of the pitch, we should also find the enticing battle between Huntelaar and Hummels to see which of the two heavyweights comes out on top just as interesting. 

Both players are well versed in the other's game, and although Hummels looks back to his best, Huntelaar has scored 10 goals this season and has bagged two against Dortmund during his time in Gelsenkirchen. 

Odds (per Odds Shark)

Dortmund: 8/15

Draw: 17/5

Schalke: 5/1