Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04
It’s known as the ‘mother of all derbies’ and every Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 fan knows exactly why.
The Revierderby between these two sides is one of the most fiercely fought in world football, with only 20 miles separating Dortmund from Gelsenkirken, the Ruhr region comes alive when Bundesliga BVB vs Schalke is on the horizon.
And after a two month lay-off there will be no shortage of passion when David Wagner brings Schalke to the Signal Iduna Stadium. His side currently sits in sixth place in the Bundesliga table, but ten points behind fifth place Bayer Leverkusen, so a Europa League spot is the target, though many Konigsblauen fans would happily sacrifice that for a win on Saturday.
That outcome would be a disaster for Borussia Dortmund, who return with big ambitions to make an assault on the title and the nightmare scenario would be a repeat of Schalke’s win here last year which derailed their 2019 title charge.
Talking Points
Can BVB pick up where they left off?
A defeat to PSG in the Champions League ended a run of five wins for Die Schwarzgelben, four in the league, and that strong form has lifted Lucien Favre’s team up into second place and four points behind leaders FC Bayern.
The latest SBOBET odds pitch BVB at 5.80 to lift the 2020 Bundesliga trophy and if they make a good start in the derby on Saturday they’ll be in with a good shout. The fixtures in the run-in favour Dortmund over FC Bayern and the clash between the two leaders at the Signal Iduna Park on 26th May could well be crucial.
Favre has an exciting attacking group to pick from but he does have some injury concerns going into this match. Marco Reus is out, while Jadon Sancho and Axel Witsel are doubtful. Sancho in particular would be a loss, but Dortmund still have plenty of firepower at their disposal. Winter recruit Erling Braut Haaland has started his career in Dortmund in stunning style, scoring nine goals in eight games, while Thorgan Hazard and Achraf Hakimi have made ten assists each this season.
Schalke hope to benefit from the break
Head coach David Wagner has done a fine job at Schalke, in his first appointment since leaving Huddersfield Town. This time last season Die Konigsblauen were down in 14th place, with just 23 points, and they were in a relegation fight. So to find themselves up in sixth place is some achievement. They had an impressive first half of the season and were as high as third in December, but they haven’t won in seven Bundesliga matches dating back to 17th January.
Schalke have been struggling for goals, relying on midfield players Suat Serdar who has seven goals and Amie Harit who has contributed six goals and four assists.
The visitors have suffered some big losses of late, losing 3-0 away to Cologne and they were on the end of a 0-5 thumping at home to Red Bull Leipzig. They will surely hope that recent form, which usually counts for plenty, may not be so important.
The visitors will need to cut off the supply from BVB’s creative duo Hakimi and Hazard if they are to have any chance. And they will hope an empty Signal Iduna Stadium will be easier to cope with than the noise generated by an 80,000 crowd and the 25,000 Yellow Wall.
History
These two Ruhr rivals played out a 0-0 draw in Gelsenkirken back in October, and the underdogs stunned Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park last season with a 2-4 victory, which severely dented their hosts’ 2019 title hopes. Schalke’s Daniel Caligiuri scored twice while BVB’s Marco Reus and Marius Wolf were sent off for poor tackles on Suat Serdar.
Schalke have had the better of the Revierderby since 1992, winning 19 to BVB’s 14 while there have been 23 draws. While the head to head BVB vs Schalke results give the visitors cause for optimism, the two sides’ form before the shutdown doesn’t. After a strong first half of the campaign die Konigsblauen haven’t won in six games while Dortmund are unbeaten at home, winning nine and drawing three at home.
Betting Tip
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Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04 | Borussia Dortmund Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 1.95 |
| May 16, 21:30 (GMT+8) |
The pre-match BVB vs Schalke betting odds suggest die Schwarzgelben will be able to cope well enough behind closed doors. A home win is available at odds of 1.55 with the draw at 4.30, and Schalke at 5.20 to win the local bragging rights.
Dortmund will be desperate to restart with a victory and while Schalke’s goal against Hoffenheim was their first in four games, they will be keen to upset their hosts.
For an alternative bet, Over 2.75 goals is available at 1.92 and for a correct score, 2-1 is the most likely at 7.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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