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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-head
Like Schalke, Hamburg had a good pre-season. They won three of their four games, and drew the other.
The 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-W
Hamburg form guide: W-W-D-W-W
Schalke vs Hamburg Team News
Schalke
Schalke 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 Mascarell
Unavailable: Ralf Fahrmann (COVID-19)
Hamburg
Hamburg 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.
Attacking 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 Ambrosius
Doubtful: Sonny Kittel
Schalke vs Hamburg Predicted Lineups
Schalke 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 Terodde
Hamburg 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 Glatzel
Schalke vs Hamburg Prediction
Both 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 Hambu
