Borussia Dortmund vs FC Schalke 04 Betting Odds and Prediction

The German Bundesliga returns to action this weekend after a two-month stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic. And if you need any help, take a look at our blog on how to bet on the Bundesliga.

Germany’s top flight will have a full set of fixtures this weekend as the league tries to complete its 2019-20 term. One of those matches is the Revierderby which will feature Borussia Dortmund hosting rivals FC Schalke 04 at the Signal Iduna Park on May 16, 2020.

Dortmund is looking for a 5th consecutive win and they are aiming to inch closer to seven-time defending champions Bayern Munich in the league table. As of the stoppage, Bayern was still on top with 55 points, four points ahead of Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, Schalke already has one foot in the Europa League as they are one point ahead of seventh placer Wolfsburg.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund Possible Starting Lineup

Borussia Dortmund had a very good season when Bundesliga play was halted. They were in second place in the Bundesliga table with 51 points, four behind leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich. BVB scored a total of 68 goals while conceding only 33 goals during that period.

They won five out of their last six matches including their last four before the suspension of the season. In those four fixtures, Dortmund scored a total of nine goals while only giving up one score. In the Champions League, they defeated PSG 1-0 in their first meeting but lost 2-0 in the second leg, and were ousted from the competition.

In their last match played, Dortmund recorded a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. They controlled 55% of the possession, had 4 shots on goal, 3 corner kicks, and were 84% accurate with their passes.

Before the season was paused, Sancho was BVB’s best player with a total of 14 goals and 15 assists in 23 matches played. Young star Erling Haaland also scored nine goals in eight games played for Borussia Dortmund.

FC Schalke 04

Schalke Possible Starting Lineup

FC Schalke 04 wasn’t playing well when the stoppage happened. They were 6th in the Bundesliga standings with a total of 37 points and they were one of the teams that needed the season stoppage to regroup.

Schalke has not won in its last six matches in the Bundesliga and they have dropped three out of those six contests. The team has conceded a total of 11 goals during that period while only scoring a total of two goals.

In their last game, Schalke blew a 1-0 halftime lead and finished the match with a 1-1 tie against Hoffenheim. During that fixture, Schalke had 44% of possession, 4 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks while completing 70% of their passes.

Serdar is the team’s leading scorer with seven goals while Sarik also contributed a total of six goals for Schalke 04. Despite the two month break, the team still has a lot of injured players including Stambouli, Caliguri, Kabak, Mascarell, Miranda, and Sane.

The Match-Up

Dortmund has a chance to move to within one point of Bayern Munich as the defending champions won’t play a match until Sunday evening when they take on Union Berlin. BVB has the best home record in the Bundesliga during the 2019-20 season as they have picked up a total of 30 points from 12 matches, winning nine times and coming up with a draw thrice.

However, they will have to play without their fans as one of the safety measures being implemented in the Bundesliga is to play games without and audience. It will be interesting to see what happens to Dortmund’s invincibility at home on May 16th.

Head to head, these squads have played in a total of 44 all-time meetings. Dortmund has nine wins while Schalke has been victorious 17 times. 18 of their matches have ended in a draw. Dortmund has won just once in their last eight meetings against Schalke 04. During that period, the teams have figured ina draw five times while Schalke has won two times. Schalke defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-2 last April 27, 2019, and these teams played to a scoreless draw on October 26, 2019.

Favre revealed earlier in the week that both Emre Can and Axel Witsel will be available for selection on May 16th. That means that Julian Brandt and Thomas Delaney will line up in the middle for Dortmund. There are slight concerns with the starting XI as Zagadou, Schulz, and Reus will be absent. However, the trio of Sancho, Thorgan Hazard, and Erling Braut Haaland will be at Favre’s disposal.

As for Schalke, the side will not have Kabak and Mascarell while Stambouli is a doubtful starter. Serdar missed four out of the last five league matches for Schalke due to injury but after the two-month layoff, he should be ready for action.

Who Wins?

This one’s a tough call because we don’t know what form these teams will be after a two-month hiatus. Schalke is playing better this year than the previous term but injuries have hurt them this season. The Royal Blues still have a shot at the Europa League as they are one point clear of 7th placer Wolfsburg who are due to play Augsburg on Sunday.

Dortmund is 9-3-0 at home this season while Schalke 04 hasn’t won any of their last six matches across all competition. The absence of the fans might have some effect on Dortmund but all things considered, I think that BVB wins this match. Although Schalke is playing for an appearance in Europe, Dortmund’s championship ambition is still alive and they need to win this match to stay within sight of Bayern Munich.

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund (-185)

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