Schalke 04 vs Borussia Dortmund: preview, key players, team news, prediction
Expected Lineups
When it comes to lineups, I don’t expect much to change for Dortmund. What has been working so far is what I believe Lucien Favre should stick with. Despite his lack of scoring form, Mario Götze has created chances up top, and offers a good option for opposing defenders to track while they tire themselves out. I would then expect Paco Alcacer to be included subsequently as his substitute. I would also expect Reus to continue to play behind Gotze, with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Sancho flanking them. I would be interested to see how Maximillian Phillip would do out on the left in his natural position, however.
The midfield will most likely be the partnership of Witsel and Delaney, with Mahmoud Dahoud ready to come off the bench in case we need a bit more of a creative injection. Whilst my dream would be to see Shinji Kagawa play in this fixture, (he loves scoring against Schalke), his Borussia Dortmund career is nearing its end.
As for the defense, I’d imagine the partnership of Abdou Diallo and Dan Axel Zagadou will be the first choice, but once again that all depends on how serious Zagadou’s injury was and if Favre feels that Akanji is ready to come back into the lineup. They will continue to be flanked by Piszczek and Hakimi on the right and left respectively, I doubt Schmelzer would return in a game of this magnitude after being out for so long. I would also expect Roman Bürki to start as he has been in stellar form all season, and this is an all hands on deck kind of game we need to win.
As for Schalke, it’s hard for me to predict what lineup would best suit this team. They play a formation that calls for two strikers, and in the last couple games this has been rotated. Considering form, I would expect a combination of Guido Burgstaller and Steven Skrzybski up front, as this is what worked for them against Nürnburg, with their most creative players Nabil Bentaleb and Amine Harit posing a threat behind them as well.
Sebastian Rudy has been their go to defensive midfielder, and I don’t expect this to change anytime soon. If Schalke are to put up a true fight in this game he will be key, and fans of the Royal Blues will certainly be hoping that this is the game in which he rediscovers the form that earned him a transfer from Hoffenheim to Bayern Munich.
A defensive 3 has been standard for Tedesco’s team this season, and I expect that Benjamin Stambouli and Salif Sane to start as well. My only expected change would be to perhaps see Naldo in the starting 11, mainly because of his affinity for turning up in games against Dortmund.
Next. What the Revierderby means to us as Borussia Dortmund fans. dark
Prediction
Despite me being adamant that facing Schalke will prove to be a test for our squad, I do believe we will come away with a 3-1 win. We will be the in-form team, the favorites to be sure, but the psychological aspect of the derby may lead to openings for both sides. Both teams will be raring to go and ready to fight till the last whistle. It is my view that this game will be yet another pivotal point in our season, but we a certainly ready to seize this as an opportunity to get three points towards what could be long awaited glory in May.