Bayern battle for further Schalke success in Bundesliga clash
Published:
Lee Gormley | November 20, 2015
Schalke v Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga
- Saturday, November 21st
- Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
- Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
- Live on BT Sport 1
Schalke battle Bayern in Bundesliga encounter
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich have been in literally unstoppable form so far this season, cruising to the summit of the Bundesliga table after an unbeaten start, and they travel to face Schalke next having not lost this fixture since March 2011.
The reigning German champions have rallied to the summit of the domestic table once again, opening a five-point lead over closest challengers Borussia Dortmund at this early stage, and have lost none of their opening 12 outings.
Bayern thrashed Stuttgart 4-0 in their last outing, following a 5-1 Champions League demolition of Arsenal, and are 9/4 with Coral to net four or more goals again at the Veltins-Arena, where they secured a 4-0 triumph in 2013.
In fact, Guardiola’s visitors have looked more like the home side on their visits here, with Munich having won three of the last four trips to nil, though Schalke managed to earn back-to-back 1-1 fixture draws last season. Another stalemate can he had at 5/1, while a repeat 1-1 is 11/1.
Muller outlines decisive period
Following the international break, Germany frontman Thomas Muller has outlined his side’s return to Bundesliga action as decisive in their quest to retain that coveted German league title, but claims Schalke could pose a threat to their unbeaten run.
“They will have their backs to the wall at home in front of their own fans. There are easier fixtures coming off the back of the international break,” stated the Bayern poacher, who is 10/3 to open proceedings.
“We have to take all three points. We are entering a decisive phase in the season.”
Schalke need flawless outing
Schalke boss Andre Breitenreiter believes his team will need a perfect performance in order to thwart the attacking danger that the Bavarians possess, but his men are haplessly without a win in six outings and are 10/1 for an upset.
“We want to play without any mistakes – you need to against Bayern,” he said. “We will be giving the team a clear game plan. There will be chances for us in the match.
“We have gone over a number of things that we want to implement on Saturday, but we’re the underdogs. There are games where Bayern make mistakes and are maybe a little sloppy. We want to take advantage of that.”
Thiago joins casualties
The hosts can take some comfort from Bayern’s injury list though, with Thiago Alacantara now joining Frack Ribery, Mario Gotze and Juan Bernat in the treatment room, after a knock featuring for Spain.
However, Arjen Robben has enjoyed a rampant return from his own injury, and is 4/1 for a double or more, while in-form Robert Lewandowski is 5/2 to strike last.
Schalke hold enough talent in their ranks to cause an upset though, with deadly Dutchman Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who is 11/5 to net anytime on home soil.
Defensive stalwart Benedikt Howedes was an unlikely source of goals in this fixture last term, scoring both home and away, and he is 9/1 for another this time out.
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