RB Leipzig and Schalke meet at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday as the visitors aim to avoid relegation on the final weekend of the Bundesliga season.
Sitting second from bottom in the table, the Royal Blues find themselves one point from guaranteed safety, although they could end up in the dreaded relegation playoff spot at the end of play on Saturday.
In truth, Schalke can have very few complaints about their current situation, as they have managed to win just seven of their 33 league matches this season, recording 10 draws and 16 losses in the process.
Worse still, S04 are the lowest scorers in the division, having netted a measly 33 goals this term, and they also possess the third-worst defensive record, with the unwanted figure of 67 occupying their goals against column.
Although Schalke have upped their game in recent months – winning three of their last six games while losing four of their previous 16 – Thomas Reis’ men are paying the price for a dreadful start to the campaign.
At the opposite end of the table, RB Leipzig are guaranteed to finish third after opening up a four-point lead over Union Berlin and Freiburg below, meaning the Saxony outfit will record a fifth top-three finish in seven seasons since gaining promotion to the Bundesliga back in 2016.
The Red Bulls have been immense in recent weeks, winning eight of their last nine matches across all competitions. Last weekend, they claimed a hugely impressive 3-1 victory at title-chasing Bayern Munich to secure UEFA Champions League football.
Having lost just two of their 16 home league games this term – securing 12 wins along the way – Marco Rose’s men will be confident of notching a fourth successive victory on home soil at the expense of struggling Schalke.
Let’s not forget that RB Leipzig thrashed Schalke 6-1 in the reverse fixture back in January, extending their winning streak against the Royal Blues to four matches in the process.
It is also worth remembering that Schalke have only managed to win two of their 11 Bundesliga meetings with the Red Bulls over the years, while Leipzig have won six of the previous eight encounters.
Leipzig are still without long-term absentee Peter Gulacsi as the goalkeeper continues to recover from an ACL injury, while Timo Werner – who has chalked up 16 goals and six assists this season – is a doubt for Saturday’s clash after missing last weekend’s win over Bayern due to illness.
Schalke will be without the injured quintet of Tom Krauss (muscle), Jere Uronen (muscle), Ralf Fahrmann (groin), Soichiro Kozuki (ankle) and Justin Heekeren (ACL) for the final game. On top of that, Simon Terodde and Mortiz Jenz are suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Expert Insight: Schalke must avoid defeat to stand any chance of beating the drop, but Leipzig won’t hand the Royal Blues any favours. Having won each of their last five matches – and eight of their previous nine – the Red Bulls could send Schalke back to the second tier.
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