Bundesliga Preview: Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Munich
Ralf Rangnick’s Schalke will face Jupp Heynckes’ high flying Bayern Munich at the Veltins-Arena in one of the fiercest rivalries in German football on Sunday, September 18. The match has also gained a lot of hype as Manuel Neuer
will face his former club for the first time since his transfer to Bayern Munich this summer.
The last times the two sides met in the League was in April this year when Bayern Munich comprehensively defeated their rivals 4-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Schalke 04
Die Knappen have had a great start to the season and currently sit in seventh place with nine points so far. The club started that season on a low note as they lost to Stuttgart 3-0 but have comeback well since.
The Royal Blues are coming from a 0-0 draw against Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Europa League in mid-week and their form has been surely on the rise in recent weeks. The club has won three of the last five games played in all competitions
and have lost only one game in the process.
Bayern Munich
The Bavarian giants have been in sensational form this season and are currently leading the Bundesliga standings table with 12 points from five games. They have so far scored a staggering 16 goals and conceded just one since the
season has started.
Jupp Heynckes’ side has been brilliant in Europe also as they recently downed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Villarreal-CF-c40899 in the UEFA Champions League at El Madrigal which was a great achievement. The manager has certainly brought stability to the side and
the defence has massively improved from last season.
Team News
Schalke 04
Goalkeeper http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ralf-c30492 Fahrmann is expected to start the match between the sticks after recovering from injury. Ralf Rangnick is expected to name a strong side with no major injury worries ahead of the clash.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Raul-c30652 playing as the second striker whereas Julian Draxler and Jefferson Farfan would provide wing support.
Bayern Munich
The former Bundesliga champions will be without http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Toni-Kroos-c35425 will retain
his place after a brilliant display against Villarreal.
Players to watch
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
The Dutch international has started that season brilliantly with a staggering 12 goals in only six games. The home fans will expect a match winning performance from the striker who is well capable of scoring crucial goals in big
matches.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Manuel-Neuer-c23424
The German international will surely get a hostile reception from his former club fans. The player was under scrutiny from Schalke faithful for making a move to fierce rivals Bayern Munich in this summer’s transfer window.
Prediction
It is certainly one of the most awaited fixtures in the Bundesliga every season. Schalke won the last clash between the two sides at Veltins-Arena 2-0 last year in December. Although the Bavarian giants have been in sensational
form this season, the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Royal-95-c40387 Blues are capable of getting a result at their home ground even against the best sides.
Die Knappen will win the match 2-1 considering their terrific form at home in the past few weeks.
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