Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Borussia Dortmund host Schalke 04 in the Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 12 of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season on Sunday. It's the 147th edition of the "Revierderby"—unquestionably the fiercest rivalry in German football.
Dortmund enter the game as clear favourites, boasting a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Schalke. The hosts have won their last six games in a row, with a cumulative scoreline of 24-4. The Black and Yellows should be well rested after their comfortable 4-0 over FK Qabala in the Europa League.
Sunday's visitors, meanwhile, haven't won in their last five matches, losing to Borussia Monchengladbach in the league and cup, while drawing with FC Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga and twice with Sparta Prague in the Europa League. Schalke's last win away from home came in late September.
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Like their opponents on Sunday, Schalke installed a new head coach in the summer. Andre Breitenreiter came over from SC Paderborn and has done, by and large, well in his first few months with the Royal Blues, despite their stuttering form in recent weeks.
Speaking about the "Revierderby," Breitenreiter said (via Reuters.com):
"In no game are we without a chance. Not against Bayern, not against Bayer Leverkusen and especially not in the derby. These are emotional games and what comes out is something no one can promise in advance. But we will do everything to give fans what they have expected before the season. A team that works as one unit in every game and never gives up.
"
Schalke were, quite literally, without a chance in the last meeting between the two sides in February, where Dortmund could have won by six or seven goals. Sunday's hosts left it late, scoring all three of their goals in the last 12 minutes of the game.
That was, however, only Dortmund's third win at home against their archrivals this millennium.
Date: Sunday, November 8
Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. ET/3:30 p.m. local time
Venue: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
TV Info: BT Sport ESPN (U.K. only)/FS 1 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only)
Form Guide
| Dortmund | Schalke |
| Qabala: Win (3-1) | Sparta Prague: Draw (2-2) |
| Augsburg: Win (5-1) | Monchengladbach: Loss (1-3) |
| Paderborn: Win (7-1) | Monchengladbach (Cup): Loss (0-2) |
| Bremen: Win (3-1) | Ingolstadt: Draw (1-1) |
| Qabala: Win (4-0) | Sparta Prague: Draw (1-1) |
Predicted Lineups
Dortmund
Burki; Ginter, Papastathopoulos, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl, Gundogan; Castro, Kagawa, Mkhitaryan; Aubameyang
Marco Reus will miss the game with a torn muscle fibre in his thigh he picked up in the match against Qabala. Gonzalo Castro will in all likelihood replace the Germany international on the wing.
Other than that, head coach Thomas Tuchel will have the entire current first-choice XI at his disposal.
Schalke
Fahrmann; Caicara, Neustadter, Ayhan, Aogo; Goretzka, Hojbjerg; Sane, Meyer, Choupo-Moting; Huntelaar
Breitenreiter will have to do without captain Benedikt Howedes, who suffered a broken metacarpal last week. His regular partner at centre-back, Joel Matip, is likely out as well, but it's not set in stone.
Should Matip be able to play against Dortmund, Roman Neustadter would likely slide into midfield, where he would replace the suspended Johannes Geis. Up front, meanwhile, Schalke could opt to play with two out-and-out strikers, with Franco di Santo playing instead of either Max Meyer or Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Players to Watch
Castro impressed in recent outings on the wing, but replacing Reus on his current form is a tall task. Reus scored six goals in his last five appearances, opening the scoring for his side three times.
Castro isn't a natural goalscorer like Reus and more of a playmaker, setting up goals for team-mates, like he did brilliantly in the DFB-Pokal against Paderborn.
For Schalke, all eyes are on young Leroy Sane. The 19-year-old was called up to the German national team on Friday after a string of highly impressive performances for his club. The winger leads Schalke with four goals in the Bundesliga and is directly responsible for seven points, as two of his goals led to 1-0 wins over VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV, while he also scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Ingolstadt last weekend.
Key Battle: Schalke's Makeshift Defence vs. Dortmund's Prolific Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga this season. Schalke have scored 14. It's easy to see why Dortmund are heavily favoured by the bookmakers for this meeting.
The Black and Yellows have found the back of the net at least twice in all 10 games played at home in all competitions this season, totalling an impressive 42 goals in front of their own fans. Schalke would have had their hands full with Dortmund's prolific attack with their first-choice defence on the pitch. Now missing Howedes and, presumably, Matip, their job hasn't gotten any easier—despite Reus' absence.
The Royal Blues' biggest hope to contain Dortmund plays between the sticks. Goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann played the game of his life in this fixture in the 2013/14 season, earning (in German) top marks and the honours of man of the match from German magazine Kicker.
If Schalke are to upset Dortmund on Sunday, Fahrmann needs another top-notch performance.
Odds (via Odds Shark):
Dortmund: 25-66
Draw: 87-20
Schalke: 15-2
Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
