The opening game of the German Bundesliga seventh round is set for this Friday, September 29th, 2017, when Schalke 04 meets Bayer Leverkusen at the Veltins-Arena in a true derby match of two great German sides.
By now it seems like another rollercoaster season for The Miners, while the guests from Leverkusen are in pretty much the same on-off form lately. It is going to be their 67th Bundesliga clash, with Schalke 04 recording 17 victories, while Bayer Leverkusen won 30 times, with 19 games finished in a draw.
In this preview we’ll give you some helpful tips and analysis on these two teams, trying to predict the final outcome.
SCHALKE 04 vs. BAYER LEVERKUSEN
3-Way: 1: Schalke 04 +156; X: +260 Draw; 2: Bayer Leverkusen +202
Spread 0: Schalke 04 -119; Bayer Leverkusen +119
Total +2.5: Over -123; Under +120
SCHALKE 04
The Miners have lost two previous Bundesliga matches, against Bayern Munich at home, 3:0, and at Hoffenheim, 2:0. They are sitting at the seventh spot of the table with nine points, a goal difference 7:8, and a form of LLWWLW. What has looked like a great start of the season, now seems like another up and down Bundesliga campaign.
In the previous round Schalke 04 was beaten at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, 2:0, missing too much scoring opportunities to grab at least a point from TSG Hoffenheim 1899. In the 11th minute, the goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann saved his team with a top-notch stop after Havard Nordtveit’s header. Just two minutes later there was no defense against Dennis Geiger’s clinical strike from the edge of the box.
From this moment The Miners took the game to the hosts, creating 12 scoring opportunities particularly from the left wing, but they couldn’t get a goal till the end of the match. In the 51st minute, Evgen Konoplyanka hit the crossbar after Max Meyer’s cross from the left wing. Four minutes later the Ukranian star had another opportunity when his shot finished just a few inches wide.
The striker Guido Burgstaller, who arrived from Nurnberg in January after some impressing displays in 2. Bundesliga also had two great opportunities to level the match. Firstly, his right-foot shot was just misplaced, and then in the 82nd minute, he managed to ruin Schalke’s best chance, placing the shot way over the bar from just a couple of meters from Hoffenheim’s goal. The punishment came in the stoppage time, while Schalke’s manager and players were arguing about a throw-in, Hoffenheim’s players were scoring a goal. It was an inadmissible fail which decided a winner.
The manager Domenico Tedesco has a lot of problems with the play organization, as his best passers are defenders. The center-back Matija Nastasic has the most completed passes (235) while his colleague Naldo has the highest pass accuracy with 213 completed passes. The left-back Bastian Oczipka has the most chances created with eight key passes and one assist.
Overall, Tedesco’s team has created 53 scoring opportunities, netting seven times in six encounters. The midfielders surely have to step up, as there are few well-known names in the squad – Evgen Konoplyanka, Leon Goretzka, and Benjamin Stambouli are all capable of much better performance. The 19-year old Weston McKennie had a good match against Hoffenheim, and the youngster will wait for his chance as the club tied him to a new five-year deal.
For the next game, Domenico Tedesco can count on all players, besides full-backs Coke and Bastian Oczipka, who are still doubtful due to slight injuries.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Similarly to their Friday’s rival, Bayer Leverkusen is having a turbulent start of their Bundesliga campaign with a form of WLWLDL. They are at the 10th place of the table currently with seven points out of the first six rounds, and a 12:10 goal difference. All their seven points were earned at BayArena where Leverkusen was victorious over Hamburger and Freiburg, adding a draw with Hoffenheim, while they’ve lost three times on the road against Hertha Berlin, FSV Mainz 05, and Bayern Munich, recording a 3:8 goal difference.
In the previous round of the German Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen smashed Hamburger SV, 3:0, with some pretty convincing display. They grabbed the lead in the 20th minute when the club’s record signing Kevin Volland took a perfect left-foot shot to beat the keeper. In the 83rd minute, he’s completed the second brace in three games to make it 3:0, after a wonderful team play. Meanwhile, another new arrival, the striker Lucas Alario, bagged on his debut to double the lead. The Argentinian also assisted to Voland for his second strike.
Heiko Herrlich’s boys created 11 chances against Hamburger SV, allowing 9 scoring opportunities to their opponents. They’ve recorded 22 interceptions and 23 clearances for their second consecutive clean sheet in the front of the home fans. It is an encouraging fact, as Leverkusen conceded 10 goals so far. The responsible defending could be crucial in the future encounters.
While there are some problems at the defensive end, Heiko Herrlich’s team is pretty dangerous in the final third. They’ve created 75 scoring opportunities, and with 12 goals on their account Leverkusen is the third most effective team in the Bundesliga, just behind Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. If they continue with this kind of attacking performance, some good things are waiting for them in this season, for sure.
Kevin Volland is a top league goal scorer with four goals. Julian Brandt, Leon Bailey, and Charles Aranguiz all have two assists so far. Admir Mehmedi has one dish along with 12 key passes. Sven Bender is a man with the most completed passes (323) and an 83% pass accuracy. Everyone is still waiting for Karim Bellarabi to reach the top form.
Heiko Herrlich doesn’t have any serious injury concerns, so he can field the best eleven on Friday night. The center-back Tin Jedvaj will probably miss the game due to a shinbone injury.
SCHALKE 04 vs BAYER LEVERKUSEN – Match Prediction
These two teams are both unpredictable like a spring weather, so everything is possible at the Veltins-Arena. Schalke 04 is still without a draw after six rounds, and it could be their first of the season. On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen has lost all three away games, so they will be looking for their first points on the road.
I expect to see an open game with a lot of chances on both ends. Therefore, there is a high possibility that we could see both teams scoring a goal and the game covering the over.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-123)
