On Tuesday evening, struggling Schalke hosts RB Leipzig at the Veltins Arena as both teams search for vital points at opposite ends of the Bundesliga table.
Schalke form guideThe Royal Blues are bottom of the Bundesliga table and look set for a quick return to the Bundesliga.2 if they cannot find form soon. Thomas Reis’ team suffered their ninth defeat in ten league games last time out in a 3-0 thumping at Eintracht Frankfurt. The loss in Frankfurt, coupled with results elsewhere, means that Schalke are now six points adrift of safety.
Some disastrous defensive displays have been at the heart of the home side's poor results in recent months, as they have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last nine league matches.
A poor home record in the Bundesliga has also not helped their survival chances, as Schalke has lost four of their last five league matches on home soil.
RB Leipzig form guideMarco Rose’s team stretched their unbeaten run to nine games in the Bundesliga with a 1-1 home draw against reigning champions Bayern Munich last time out. The draw ended a four-game winning run for Leipzig in the German top flight. The recent resurgence in form has moved Leipzig up to fifth place in the Bundesliga table and just a point outside the Champions League spots.
Leipzig has been one of the most prolific scorers in the Bundesliga in recent months, as the visitors have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven games in the German top flight.
Latest team newsSchalke have a big list of potential absentees for this clash, as Dominic Drexler, Sepp van den Berg, Alex Kral, Thomas Ouwejan, Justin Heekeren, Sebastian Polter, Niklas Tauer and Rodrigo Zalazar could all miss out. However, they are hopeful that Marcin Kaminski will return after illness.
RB Leipzig’s only two likely absences are big ones in the shape of first-choice goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi and star forward Christopher Nkunku.
What am I backing?RB Leipzig enjoys facing Schalke, and I am backing the Red Bulls to record another comfortable victory in Gelsenkirchen.