'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rock-bottom in the league table, a struggling Schalke host relegation rivals Freiburg at the Veltins Arena on Wednesday in a midweek Bundesliga fixture.
Poor old Schalke can't seem to find a way to win games at the moment. The Gelsenkirchen side are now on a 27-match streak without a win in all competitions.
That is a shambolic spell for a club often seen in the top echelons of German football. The Royal Blues came close to breaking that run on Sunday against Augsburg.
They led the game 2-1 against 10 men before Marco Richter equalized for the Bavarian side late in stoppage time.
Schalke have just four points from 11 games in the Bundesliga, and have conceded a shocking 33 goals - eight more than the next worst defence in the league.
In contrast, Freiburg succeeded in breaking a 10 game winless streak of their own by beating Arminia Bielefeld 2-0 on Saturday.
A Vincenzo Grifo penalty and stoppage-time goal from Jeong Woo-yeong gave the Breisgau side three important points at home, helping them retain the 14th place in the table.
A win against Schalke would help them move further away from the drop zone and closer to the top half of the table.
Schalke vs Freiburg Head-to-Head
Historically speaking, this has been a very evenly-contested match-up, with the two sides splitting the 32 games between them with 12 wins each. The other eight fixtures have ended in draws.
However, in the past 10 games, Freiburg have come out on top four times compared to Schalke winning only twice. The four other games have ended in draws.
Freiburg also have the most recent bragging rights between the two sides, destroying Schalke 4-0 in the previous fixture between the two clubs in June 2020.
Form guide (in Bundesliga)
Schalke: L-D-L-L-L
Freiburg: W-D-D-L-L
Schalke vs Freiburg Team News
Schalke's game against Augsburg on Sunday was marred by a head injury to striker Mark Uth which rendered him unconscious on the pitch. Fortunately, the club soon confirmed that the 29-year-old was stable in the hospital.
However, Uth is almost certain to miss the Freiburg clash on Wednesday, adding to manager Manuel Baum's injury woes as he already has several first team players on the treatment table.
Injuries: Mark Uth, Frederik Ronnow, Goncalo Paciencia, Ahmed Kutucu
Doubtful: Rabbi Matondo
Suspensions: None
Freiburg boss Christian Streich has injury concerns of his own with five first-team players set to miss the trip to Schalke. Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon has returned to training. That will be welcome news, but his participation in Wednesday's game remains in doubt.
Injuries: Yannik Keitel, Gian-Luca Itter, Lukas Kubler, Janik Haberer, Mark Flekken
Doubtful: Kwon Chang-hoon
Suspensions: None
Schalke vs Freiburg Predicted Line-up
Schalke Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Ralf Fährmann; Malick Thiaw, Ozan Kabak, Salif Sane, Bastian Oczipka; Omar Mascarell; Alessandro Schopf, Suat Serdar, Nassim Boujellab, Benito Raman; Steven Skrzybski
Freiburg Predicted XI (3-4-3): Florian Muller; Manuel Gulde, Keven Schlotterbeck, Philipp Leinhart; Chris Gunter, Nicolas Hofler, Baptiste Santamaria, Jonathan Schmid; Vincenzo Grifo, Ermedin Demirovic, Lucas Holer
Schalke vs Freiburg Prediction
Despite failing to end their winless run, Schalke looked much better in the game against Augsburg, even dominating at times. Salif Sane returning to the fold should strengthen their failing defence, which has leaked goals at an average of three-per-game this season.
Freiburg had a successful evening against Arminia despite missing several key first-team players. A clean sheet on Saturday should boost their morale, as their defending has been as woeful as Schalke's this season.
Schalke's confidence and belief is understandably shattered right now. But if they build on Sunday's performance, they could come through with three crucial points and kickstart a huge turnaround to save their season.
Prediction: Schalke 2-1 Freiburg
