Bayern Munich vs Schalke: Back to Bundesliga for the European Dreamers

Bayern Munich vs Schalke: Back to Bundesliga for the European Dreamers

Schalke 04 vs Bayern Munich

A classic encounter awaits football fans as Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich return to regular Bundesliga programming after the Champions League opener.

Last year’s runners-up host the reigning German champions in a highly anticipated game at Veltins-Arena. Bayern are still undefeated and will fancy their chances against a team that hasn’t won against them in the past seven years.

Schalke, on the other hand, will look to get a morale-boosting win after what could be described as a tumultuous start to their domestic campaign. They are currently bottom of the league after three straight losses, but there’s no better way for them to bounce back and regain confidence than a win against the best German team out there.

Talking Points

The 2018/19 campaigns of last year’s best teams couldn’t be more different. While Bayern picked up where they left off after winning their sixth straight league title, Schalke have since fallen from grace and are in an early battle for survival.

Domenico Tedesco’s Royal Blues have lost three straight, one against Wolfsburg who barely managed to stay in the top flight last campaign. They bowed down to Hertha 0-2 and almost went scoreless against Gladbach if not for a Breel Embolo consolation goal in injury time.

While fans will blame their offence and lack of attacking options—particularly after the departures of Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer—their defence is the bigger issue.

They have conceded two goals in each of their past three domestic matches. To make matters worse, they never led in those games and even allowed the opponents to score within 15 minutes twice.

Sure enough, summer signing Mark Uth must start producing offensively for Schalke if they want to win; however, Tedesco also needs to get back to the tactical fluidity that he’s known for and find a solution to their defensive woes—especially against a Bayern team that has already scored nine Bundesliga goals.

The Bavarians are on a tear offensively and are averaging three goals per game. They have been solid defensively as well, conceding just two goals in three matches.

Robert Lewandowski, with two goals and one assist, will be the usual threat he is as Bayern look to make it four out of four. Unfortunately for Schalke, it’s not only the Pole that they must be cautious of when they meet.

Thomas Muller has been a consistent goalscorer for the champs as well, while James Rodriguez seems ready to start again after coming off the bench in their opening three games. The Colombia international was at the heart of the much-improved Bayern attack last year, and his return to the Starting XI is no good news for Schalke.

Rodriguez started and impressed in their 2-0 Champions League win over Benfica, assisting Renato Sanches for his first competitive goal for the club. And after such brilliant and clinical performance, the 27-year-old on-loan midfielder is expected to continue his ascendancy and grab the Bundesliga 2018 highlights and headlines.

History

The past 17 meetings between the two sides have been all about Bayern. Out of those encounters,  Bayern never lost, winning 14 and drawing the other three.

Their matches last season paint a clearer picture of how dominant Bayern have been against Schalke. While the Royal Blues finished second, they were far from contending for the league title. Tedesco’s charges lost both their home and away fixtures against Bayern, finding the back of the net just once and conceding five in the process.

Even more remarkable for Bayern, their visit to Veltins-Arena in 2017/18 saw them hit three unanswered goals. Lewandowski bagged one, while Rodriguez scored and assisted on the other as they sealed a 3-0 win en route to another title run.

Schalke last won against Bayern in 2011, a 0-1 victory in the DFB Pokal. Their last Bundesliga victory against the Bavarians was eight years ago when they still have Jose Jurado and Benedikt Howedes.

Betting Tip

Bayern Munich Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.09

Really, who’s stopping Bayern in the German top flight? They are the champions for a reason, and it’s hard to argue with the Bundesliga 2018 odds that put them as overwhelming winners in their visit to Schalke.

Schalke really need a win, but confidence is something that they are not brimming with right now. Even us here at SBOBET don’t see them winning in any way.

The best that they could hope for is a draw, but I’m not expecting that to happen especially after their Champions League display against Porto.

Furthermore, I don’t expect their defence to improve immensely—things like that just doesn’t happen overnight. With that said, I predict Bayern to score at least three goals and come out with a huge win.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

Do you want to be informed about bookmakers' latest promotions? Click  and subscribe!