Prediction: Borussia Dortmund to win 3-0
Odds: 6/1
Bookmaker: 888sport
The latest instalment of the Revierderby takes place on Saturday evening as Borussia Dortmund welcome Schalke 04 to the Signal Iduna Park.
Both sides have begun the season in completely contrasting forms, with Lucien Favre’s men having started the season extremely well whilst Manuel Baum’s troops have had a poor opening few weeks.
Borussia Dortmund
Currently sitting third in the Bundesliga table at this early stage of the campaign, Dortmund have only lost one league match out of their opening four games, that being the 2-0 loss to Augsburg at the end of September. As a matter of fact, the goals that they conceded at the Augbsurg Arena are the only goals that Favre’s men have shipped in the league all season having won to nil against Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach earlier in the campaign. No side in the entire league has conceded fewer than Dortmund so far. They also have the opportunity to extend an impressive defensive record on home soil. Should they keep a clean sheet against Schalke, it would be the first time that they have notched three consecutive shutouts since April 2018. Whilst it is true to say that BVB are in positive form in league action, they do come into their latest derby match on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Lazio in the UEFA Champions League.
Team News
Favre has a few injury problems to resolve ahead of the match. Midfielder Thorgan Hazard has been ruled out and will join defenders Dan-Axel Zagadou, Nico Schulz and Marcel Schmelzer on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Julian Brandt and Gio Reyna could be recalled into the starting line-up after being named on the bench against Lazio.
Schalke 04
It really has been a disastrous start to the 2020/21 season for Schalke. Die Königsblauen currently sit in the relegation zone with just one point from four matches. They have also taken a few heavy defeats in the form of an 8-0 loss to Bayern Munich, a 3-1 defeat to Werder Bremen and a 4-0 thumping at the hands of RB Leipzig. New boss Baun did manage to stop the rot in their last league game with a 1-1 draw with Union Berlin. Whilst their losing run ended, Schalke are still in the midst in a horrendous run of form having not won in their last 20 Bundesliga matches – the worst run of Bundesliga form in their history. One of the main reasons behind those shocking results is their abhorrent defensive record. The team have already conceded 16 goals in just four matches this season. Should they continue that current rate for the rest of the campaign then they will concede 136 goals, considerably higher than the record 108 shipped by Tasmania Berlin in the 1965-66 season.
Team News
Goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann is set to be out of contention for a considerable amount of time after he injured his abductor. Both Mark Uth and Suat Serdar are both out too with muscular injuries. Meanwhile, Goncalo Paciencia could be named in the starting line-up after netting the equaliser against Union.
Key Facts To Consider
- Schalke possess a better head-to-head record in the Revierderby (W60, D43, L53)
- Borussia Dortmund won the last clash between the two 4-0 in May 2020
- Dortmund have not won back-to-back Revierderbies since 2015
- The hosts could notch their third consecutive clean sheet against Schalke this weekend
- Schalke have not lost five consecutive Bundesliga away matches since 1992
Conclusion
Despite this being a derby match, all of the signs coming into this game point to a comprehensive Borussia Dortmund win. Favre’s troops are in good form and will be keen to bounce back from their defeat in the Champions League. It’s going to extremely tough for Schalke to keep them out at the Westfalenstadion.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund to win 3-0
Odds: 6/1
Bookmaker: 888sport
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