Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Borussia Dortmund will aim to bounce back to winning ways when they take on arch-rivals Schalke on Saturday in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

On the back of two back-to-back losses, Borussia Dortmund will try to return to winning ways when they host Schalke at the Signal Iduna Park this weekend.

Having already lost two games, Dortmund have yet to reach the pinnacle in the Bundesliga, and their defeat to Manchester City has definitely damaged their morale. The German outfit fought neck to neck with the English giants for most of the time until two last-ditch goals broke the hearts of the travelling supporters at the Etihad Stadium.

Schalke warmed up in style for the derby with a convincing win over VfL Bochum last week. They are potentially tipped to be one of the relegation contenders this season, but Frank Kramer won’t be much disappointed if his side manages to grind out a draw in Dortmund ahead of the international break.

Dortmund have dominated games this season, but they have not been able to capitalise on their strengths, including against RB Leipzig, now managed by their former manager Marco Rose. But Edin Terzic will have a number of reasons to be optimistic as his men responded brilliantly against Manchester City.

With Bayern Munich also struggling to keep pace, this season would be the best bet for Dortmund to end the Bavarian club’s monopoly in Germany. Schalke’s record against Dortmund is pretty poor, and they will be ready to rectify their past mistakes. They have not managed a win in the Revierderby since April 2019 and have also failed to find the back of the net in the last four games.

With a vast crowd backing the home team, it will always be an advantage for Borussia Dortmund. But Schalke’s spirited performance in the last game means they will try to gain something at least from this important clash.

Team News & Tactics

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund will likely have the lion’s share of the possession as Edin Terzic will definitely go on attack mode from the very first minute. The German giants have been badly hit by injuries, and their performances have been disrupted in the absence of a number of pivotal players.

Sebastien Haller is receiving treatment after the detection of testicular cancer. Dortmund are also missing Gregor Kobel, Mahmoud Dahoud, Mateu Morey, and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

Haller’s replacement, Anthony Modeste, has been disappointing so far, so Terzic might reshuffle his pack in a bid to energise his attacking contingent. Alexander Meyer has been filling in the goal, and he will have the task to thwart any Schalke attack.

Mats Hummels was brilliant in containing Erling Haland barring that one moment when the former Dortmund striker scored, and he will be reinstated alongside Nico Schlotterbeck in the backline. Marius Wolf will replace Thomas Meunier in the right-back slot, while Raphael Guerreiro will offer more assistance from the left-hand side of the Dortmund defence.

Jude Bellingham was the show-stopper despite the defeat in Manchester, and the English midfielder will have the license to run the show from the middle of the pitch. Salih Ozcan has been a valuable addition since his arrival from FC Koln this summer, and he will be involved again from the base of the midfield.

Giovanni Reyna is set to start on the right wing, while Julian Brandt will be on the left channel. Marco Reus will operate from just behind Modeste, who has been in the search of his first Bundesliga goal for Dortmund.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meyer; Wolf, Schlotterbeck, Hummels, Guerreiro; Ozcan, Bellingham, Ozcan; Reyna, Reus , Brandt; Modeste

Schalke

Schalke could have to travel without Marcin Kaminski, who is dealing with a calf issue, while Cedric Brunner is doubtful. Frank Kramer will be pleased with his team’s performance against VfL Bochum and will want to operate the same way they did in the last match.

Alexander Schwolow will line up between the sticks, with Schalke starting in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Henning Matriciani will appear on the right side of the Schalk defence, and Thomas Ouwejan will be called upon to add something different to the game from the left.

Veteran defender Maya Yoshida will pair up with Sepp van den Berg in the heart of the Schalke defence. Tom Krauss and Florian Flick will be the two midfielders who will have the task to win the battle in the midfield against Dortmund.

Rodrigo Zalazar will get to start the game on the right wing, while Marius Bulter will be on the left flank to build the attack from his side. Dominick Drexler will be the most advanced midfielder, and he will try to feed balls to skipper Simon Terodde, who will spearhead the Schalke attack against Dortmund.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Schwolow; Matriciani, van den Berg, Yoshida, Ouwejan; Flick, Krauss; Zalazar, Drexler, Bulter; Terodde

Key Stats

• This will be the 99th Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 (36 BVB wins, 32 S04 wins, D30). Dortmund have won each of the last three derbies for the first time since between 1982 and 1984 (also three). They have also become the first side in this fixture to keep four consecutive clean sheets.
• During their 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig last time out, Borussia Dortmund failed to score in a Bundesliga game for the first time since September 2021 (1-0 loss in Borussia Monchengladbach). They have, however, found the net in each of their last 37 league home games, only bettering this run from 2018 to 2020 (38 matches). The 38th game of that run was a 4-0 thrashing of Schalke.
• Borussia Dortmund have created 15 big chances in the Bundesliga this season but have only scored two of them, giving them the worst big chance conversion rate in the league (13%). Schalke, meanwhile, have scored five goals from ten clear-cut opportunities, giving them the joint best conversion rate (50%, same as Augsburg).
• Marco Reus is on the cusp of making his 250th Bundesliga appearance for BVB (110 goals, 67 assists). Reus has been directly involved in all four of his side’s home league goals this term (2 goals, 2 assists) and has had a hand in at least one goal in three straight Bundesliga home games for the first time since summer 2021 (4 back then).
• Sebastian Polter scored his first goal of the season last time out, his sixth headed Bundesliga goal since the start of last season. Only Dortmund’s Anthony Modeste has netted more (11). Polter scored in both games against BVB for Bochum last season (2 goals).

Players to Watch

Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham has emerged as a potential game-changer for Borussia Dortmund, and there are a number of teams who could come calling for the 19-year-old next summer. The English international has displayed immense maturity and intelligence on the pitch, and he will be strictly monitored by the Schalke midfielders as they will try to restrict his passage to the goal.

Bellingham would be full of confidence after a good show against Manchester City, and he will be adamant to prove his worth once again. It will be interesting to see how the teenage sensation goes about his business against Schalke this weekend.

Predictions

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Schalke

The poor form of Anthony Modeste should not have pose a problem for Borussia Dortmund’s gameplan. The hosts have a number of skilful players who can wreak havoc if they are on song. The Hard Tackle thus predicts a 2-0 win for Edin Terzic & co.