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Schalke will hope to take a giant step forward in the race for promotion when they host Werder Bremen this Saturday in the 2. Bundesliga.
The two sides are separated by just two points at the top of the table, and both teams will hope to avoid a late slip-up after doing so well so far.
Schalke’s form under Mike Buskens has been immaculate, as Null Vier have won five games in a row to go all the way from sixth to the top of the table in the span of a few weeks.
Werder Bremen, on the other hand, have struggled for consistency and have won just once in their last five league games.
They have drawn their last three league games and need to pick up a win, with the teams below them creeping up the table.
Schalke vs Werder Bremen Head-to-head
The head-to-head record between the two teams is not heavily one-sided as Schalke have won the fixture 43 times while Werder Bremen have picked up 47 wins.
The game has ended all square 22 times, including their most recent encounter when the teams settled for a 1-1 draw at Weserstadion.
Schalke form guide: W-W-W-W-W
Werder Bremen form guide: L-W-D-D-D
Schalke vs Werder Bremen Team News
Schalke
Andreas Vindheim has a knock on his shin and is a doubt for the clash. Marvin Pieringer has a cheekbone fracture, while Danny Latza and Darko Churlinov have ankle and muscle injuries respectively.
Latza came off in the first half against Darmstadt and was in a lot of pain, so it’s highly unlikely he will feature. Michael Langer is a long-term absentee, while Thomas Ouwejan is still not fully fit yet.
Injured: Michael Langer, Marvin Pieringer, Danny Latza, Thomas Ouwejan
Doubtful: Andreas Vindheim, Danny Latza, Darko Churlinov
Suspended: None
Werder Bremen
Omer Toprak and Milos Veljkovic are not expected to feature against Schalke, while Christian Gross’ involvement is also in doubt.
Injured: Omer Toprak, Milos Veljkovic
Doubtful: Christian Gross
Suspended: None
Schalke vs Werder Bremen Predicted Lineups
Schalke Probable XI (4-4-2): Martin Fraisl; Henning Matriciani, Marcin Kaminski, Mallick Thiaw, Kerim Calhanoglu; Victor Palsson, Ko Itakura, Rodrigo Zalazar, Dominik Drexler; Marius Bulter, Simon Terodde
Werder Bremen Probable XI (3-5-2): Jiri Pavlenka; Marco Friedl, Lukas Mai, Christian Gross; Nicolai Rapp, Romano Schmid, Leonardo Bittencourt, Anthony Jung, Felix Agu; Marvin Ducksch, Niclas Fullkrug
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Schalke vs Werder Bremen Prediction
Schalke’s scintillating form is bound to end at some point, but with a fully sold out stadium and an in-form team, we see them picking up their sixth win in a row.
Prediction: Schalke 2-1 Werder Bremen
