Two heavyweights in German football, Hamburg and Schalke, will square off in the opening game of the 2. Bundesliga season on Friday.Both sides have played some thrilling games in the past, and it is a shame that the upcoming skirmish will take place in the second division.Schalke will hope to begin their season on a high at home as a limited number of fans will be allowed into the Veltins Arena on Friday.Schalke did well in pre-season and will head into the new campaign unbeaten. However, their preparations for the Hamburg clash were uncomfortable after Ralf Fährmann tested positive for COVID-19.The squad had to isolate themselves and training was canceled leading up to the opening game, so it remains to be seen how well they will cope in the first game.Schalke vs Hamburg Head-to-headLike Schalke, Hamburg had a good pre-season. They won three of their four games, and drew the other.ℹ️ Update: The latest round of Covid-19 tests in our quarantine training camp all returned negative results.#S04— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) July 22, 2021The head-to-head record between the two sides is not heavily one-sided as Schalke have won this fixture 42 times, while Hamburg have picked up 39 wins. A total of 24 games have ended in draws.The most recent meeting between the two teams took place in 2018 when Hamburg emerged 3-2 winners in what was a thrilling contest.Schalke form guide: W-W-D-D-WHamburg form guide: W-W-D-W-WSchalke vs Hamburg Team NewsSchalkeSchalke are expected to be without Ralf Fahrmann, Rabbi Matondo and Omar Mascarell. Dominick Drexler has arrived from Koln, but it’s too soon to put him on the pitch.Injured: Rabbi Matondo, Omar MascarellUnavailable: Ralf Fahrmann (COVID-19)HamburgHamburg manager Tim Walter will be without several options ahead of this match. Tom Mickel, Anssi Suhonen, David Bates, Josha Vagnoman, Jeremy Dudziak and Stephan Ambrosius are expected to miss the opener.🎙️ Tim #Walter on Sonny #Kittel: "He was unable to train for three weeks so he's got catching up to do. We need to take it one day at a time to see if he might be fit for Friday. We are pleased, however, that he's back on the pitch." #nurderHSV #S04HSV pic.twitter.com/kpWgL3UmUF— HSV English (@HSV_English) July 21, 2021Attacking midfielder Sonny Kittel is back in training, but might make the bench at best as he is not match fit.Injured: Tom Mickel, Anssi Suhonen, David Bates, Josha Vagnoman, Jeremy Dudziak, Stephan AmbrosiusDoubtful: Sonny KittelSchalke vs Hamburg Predicted LineupsSchalke Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Michael Langer, Marcin Kaminski, Timo Becker, Malick Thiaw, Thomas Ouwejan, Dani Latza, Victor Palsson, Blendi Idrizi, Reinhold Ranftl, Marius Bulter, Simon TeroddeHamburg Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Daniel Fernandes, Tim Leibold, Sebastian Schonlau, Jonas David, Jan Gyamerah, Jonas Meffert, David Kinsombi, Amadou Onana, Ludovit Reis, Manuel Wintzheimer, Robert GlatzelSchalke vs Hamburg PredictionBoth teams will target promotion this season and need to get off to a good start to lay down a marker. Hamburg will aim to launch their season with a positive result but Schalke will fancy their chances in front of their home fans.Schalke will hope to put in a good display despite the COVID-19 scare this past week, and could come away with a draw.Prediction: Schalke 1-1 HambuAlso Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Update on Manchester United's transfer plans, Barca's plan for Antoine Griezmann and more