FC Schalke 04 vs Werder Bremen Betting Odds and Preview – May 30

FC Schalke welcomes Werder Bremen to the VELTINS-Arena on May 30, 2020, as Round 29 of the German Bundesliga action continues.

Schalke has lost its three matches since play resumed and they are looking to get back on track. The side last won on January 17th when they beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0. They have fallen five points behind Wolfsburg for the final Europa League slot.

On the other hand, Werder Bremen hope to build on the momentum of picking up four points in their last two matches since action returned last May 16th. Bremen is still in danger of being relegated but they look to take advantage of an out of form Schalke side.

FC Schalke 04

• Schalke possible starting lineup: Schubert; Nastasic, Todibo, Sane; Kenny, McKennie, Schopf, Oczipika; Matondo, Burgstaller, Caliguiri

Schalke 04 had a good start of the season but they have struggled since the return of the Bundesliga from the pandemic suspension. In their three matches since the resumption of play, Schalke 04 has lost all its three matches and they have conceded a total of nine goals while only scoring once during that period.

In their outing earlier this week, Schalke 04 suffered a 2-1 defeat on the road against Fortuna Dusseldorf. Schalke had the lead in the 53rd minute but Fortuna turned it around and ended up winning the match. Schalke only had 33% of ball possession while getting just three shots on goal and two corner kicks. They also completed just 63% of the correct passes.

With the loss, Schalke 04 is in 9th place in the Bundesliga table with a total of 39 points and they are just five points away from a Europa League spot. However, if they don’t start scoring goals and earning points soon, they can say goodbye to their European aspirations.

Suat Serdar leads the team with a total of seven goals on the season. Fellow midfielder Amine Harit has six goals while forward Benito Raman has four goals and three assists. Harit and Bastian Oczipka each have four assists to pace Schalke 04 while Jonjoe Kenny has added three assists.

Werder Bremen

• Werder possible starting lineup: Pavlenka; Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic, Moisander, Freidl; Klaassen, Eggestein, Bartels; Rashica, Sargent, Bittencourt

With just one loss in their last three assignments, Werder Bremer is slowly getting to the safe zone. They are currently in 17th place in the Bundesliga standings with a total of 22 points and they are six points away from the edge of relegation.

Injuries have plagued Werder Bremen this season but they have been bad on offense with just a total of 29 goals in 27 matches played during the 2020 Bundesliga season. Worse, their defense has been leaking with 59 goals conceded. There are still enough games left to play to secure a return to the top flight next season, but Werder Bremen must start playing better, especially on defense.

Werder Bremen played well in their last match, as they earned a 0-0 draw against fourth placer Borussia Monchengladbach. Werder Bremen controlled 44% of ball possession while making 80% of the right passes. They also got seven shots on goal and were awarded a total of eight corner kicks.

Milot Raschica leads Werder Bremen with a total of seven goals scored this season. Forwards Davy Klaassen and Yuya Osako have scored four goals each for the squad. Raschica and Klaassen have four assists apiece to pace the team while Nuri Sahin has three assists this season.

Who Wins?

Schalke will be without the injured Omar Mascarell and Benjamin Stambouli. Suat Serdar is a doubtful starter and Rabbi Matondo will likely feature again. However, Amine Harit and Jean-Clair Tobido could return to the starting XI.

As for Bremen, Claudio Pizarro, Omer Toprak, Niclas Fullkrug, and Kevin Mowhald won’t suit up due to injury. However, Ludwig Augustinsson could feature against Schalke. Werder Bremen is expected to operate a front three here with Milot Raschica featuring at left.

Schalke has lost three in a row at home against Werder Bremen but both these teams have been in a slump. This match could go either way. Schalke’s had the better season overall but since the break, Werder Bremen has looked better. The home team is 3-3-2 in their last eight assignments at their pitch. On the other hand, Werder Bremen has won just four out of their last 14 matches in a foreign stadium.

These teams have played each other in a total of 28 head to head meetings. Schalke 04 has the advantage in the all-time match-up with 13 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses. The Royal Blues have outscored The River Islanders 44-37 during that period. Despite the edge, it’s hard to pick a winner here although if you point a gun to my head, I will have to go with Schalke due to their superior head to head record.

The last time that Schalke kept a clean slate was five matches ago and they only have six clean slates in their last 20 outings. Werder Bremen has found the back of the net in 17 out of their last 20 matched in a foreign stadium and they have scored a goal in each of their last three away matches. I’ll take a stand on both teams scoring here.

Prediction: Both teams to score -134 at Bet365

Alternate Bet

Schalke has allowed an average of three goals per game in their last three matches. Werder Bremen has conceded at least two goals in six out of their last eight assignments although they’Six out of the last seven head to head matches between these two teams in all stadiums have produced three or more goals. They produced three goals in their last encounter.

Prediction: Over 2.5 goals (-102)

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