Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04 10/02/19

10 February 2019

Bayern Munich welcome Schalke 04 to the Allianz Arena looking to stretch a four-game winning streak against the visitors and keep their hopes of defending the Budnesliga title alive.

The hosts have entered this round following an exhausting extra-time 3-2 victory over Hertha Berlin in DFB Pokal. Last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen has drastically lowered Bayern’s chances of reducing a seven-point gap on Borussia Dortmund, which is why Niko Kovac’s men now need to wrap up all three points at all costs. The aforementioned failure has brought the Bavarians’ seven-game Bundesliga winning run to an end, and it was also the first time the Reds allowed over 1.5 goals per match since late November. However, the reigning holders have racked up a three-game BL home run, scoring eight while conceding just one goal in the process. But, unlike last seasons, the Bavarians have been struggling to keep a clean sheet at home this term, conceding in seven of nine home BL meetings.

Having suffered ten defeats in 20 league outings, the Miners sit seven points above the relegation zone, dealing with a negative -5 goal difference (S24, C29). The visitors have gone from two successive BL wins to two straight games without a victory (D1, L1) as they are still struggling to maintain consistency. However, Domenico Tedesco’s men are unbeaten on their last four BL road trips (W1, D3). All four of Schalke’s previous road clashes have seen goals on both ends, with two of them producing over 2.5 goals. A potential concern for Tedesco could be the fact the Royal Blues’ last away win over Bayern dates back to 2011, after which Schalke lost on seven of nine visits to the Allianz Arena across all competitions (D2, L7).

Provisional line-up – Bayern Munich:

Gk: Ulrich Defense: Alaba – Hummels – Sule – Rafinha Midfield: Kimmich – Goretzka – James Rodriguez Attack: Muller – Coman – Lewandowski

Provisional line-up – Schalke 04:

Gk: Fahrmann Defense: Oczipka – Bruma – Salif Sane Midfield: McKennie – Rudy – Suat Serdar – Bentaleb Attack: Caligiuri – Konoplyanka – Mark Uth