Borussia Dortmund vs Schalke 04 14/03/20

14 March 2020

Rocked by Champions League elimination to PSG, Borussia Dortmund return to the Bundesliga (BL) action this weekend, as they welcome Schalke 04 to the Signal Iduna Park.

Sitting four points adrift of table-toppers Bayern Munich, the hosts have won all four of their previous league matches, with three of them yielding a clean sheet. Far more comfortable on home turf, Lucien Favre’s men have racked up 58.82% (30) of their total 51 BL points here, as they remain the only side yet to lose at home so far this season (W9, D3). However, ‘Die Borussen’ have failed to beat Schalke in all three of their previous top-flight H2Hs held here (D2, L1), conceding over 3.5 goals in the last two such meetings. Still, the BVB’s success here will mainly depend on their attack that has already scored 41 BL home goals so far – more than any other team in the top-flight. Notably, 68% of their league home goals scored came in the second half of play (28/41).

Meanwhile, a disastrous form since the turn of the year has left the visitors to hover 12 points adrift of fourth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach as they enter this round winless in eight straight BL fixtures (D4, L4). Schalke’s main problem in the new calendar year has been a lack of creativity in the attacking third. Indeed, they’ve drawn a blank in six of their last eight league outings, scoring precisely one goal apiece in the other two. What’s more, away from home, the Miners have yet to find the net in 2020 (D2, L2), with both of those defeats yielding a margin of at least three goals. Even if they manage to score here, they are unlikely to do it before halftime, considering only five of their 15 BL away goals scored came in the first half of play (33%).