Schalke 04-Borussia Dortmund
Veltins Arena
Friday, 26th February 2010 – kickoff 20:30

Schalke 04

Schalke 04 have unexpectedly lost 2-1 against struggling Vfl Wolfsburg last weekend although they had the lead which they could not keep it to the end. That result have cost them important points in the title race and now they are still sitting at the third place with four points behind the leaders Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

Now they will face Borussia Dortmund in a tough encounter which could be crucial for the rest of the season. After this match Schalke 04 have one of the toughest schedule expecting Eintracht Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburger, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the next five rounds. Schalke 04 home form has been outstanding so far and in the last six home matches they have six wins without conceding a single goal. Nine straight matches they are undefeated at home and their defense is still the best in the league with just 17 goals conceded in 23 matches so far.

Good news for Coach Felix Magath is that he will be able to field his best formation and the team does not have any injured or suspended players for this match. The team captain Heiko Westermann resumed with trainings after he was out of the squad for few weeks (meniscus surgery) and he will probably play in this derby match from the start.

Rafinha is also back in the starting line-up after serving his one match suspension due to five yellow cards.

Probable Schalke 04 line-up :
Neuer,
Rafinha, Westermann, Bordon, Schmitz,
Höwedes , Kluge, Rakitic,
Farfan, Kuranyi, Sanchez

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have finally ended their negative run of three straight losses last week against Hannover at home where they won 4-1 and regained confidence again.

Now their focus will be to get something out of this tough match and possibly to get revenge against the team that beat them at home in the first fixture.

Borussia Dortmund are six points behind Schalke 04 at the table and are currently fifth, holding on a place that leads in the European cups.

Coach Klopp will have to change his formation because the first option in the attack the Argentinean striker Lucas Barrios has picked up his fifth yellow card against Hannover last week and he is not available for selection. Nelson Valdez will take his place in the attack along Grosskreutz who is in fantastic form recently, and Mohammed Zidan but he will also fill in some gaps in the midfield as well.

Probable Borussia Dortmund line-up :
Weidenfeller,
Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer,
Bender, Sahin, Kuba,
Zidan, Grosskreutz,Valdez

The Betting Verdict

This is the biggest derby match in the Ruhr region and one of the biggest derbies in Germany. These teams have played 75 times and interesting fact is that both teams have equal 26 wins against each other and 23 draws total.

Schalke 04 have the best defense in the Bundesliga and they rarely concede, but Borussia Dortmund have scored in each of the last ten league matches.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has a negative record when facing Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund have never won against Schalke 04 under his management (two draws and one defeat).

Last five matches between these teams ended in three wins for Schalke 04 and two draws.

First match between these teams back in September last year in Dortmund ended in 1-0 win for Schalke 04.

I expect a tight encounter between these teams as both teams will not want to lose and will approach this match with caution. Schalke 04 are in better form currently despite the last week`s loss and Borussia Dortmund will be without one of the best strikers in the league for this match.

Schalke 04 have no injured or absent players, which gives them bigger hopes that they can get a good result and keep their third place that leads in Champions League qualifications, which is their main goal for this season to achieve.

I give Schalke 04 slight advantage over their rivals based on their home form and the solid defense, but derby matches are usually tougher to predict and anything can happen, so have that on mind.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Schalke 04-Borussia Dortmund 1-0 (or 1-1)

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Home win for Schalke 04