In the Bundesliga this week, two strong but struggling sides in Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 04 will do battle in a potentially telling showdown at the BayArena.
Leverkusen currently stand in sixth with 20 points, while Schalke also have 20 points but sit on the tail of their opposition in seventh.
Throughout this campaign, Leverkusen have produced mixed outcomes, sparking worry among fans. There has been highs and lows, however, the highs have been undermined by the horrendous goal conversion rate. Another negative worth noting is their results against the current top three clubs in the competition, being Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg. Bayern are an incredible force, but the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt stole points from them and Augsburg led the league favourites for a third of the match.
Leverkusen endured a 3-0 away defeat to Bayern despite more or less matching the Allianz Arena outfit in the attempts department. It was deja vu for the BayArena outfit when brushed aside by a revitalised Dortmund 3-0. All this is a consequence of poor shot execution and some defensive concerns. Leverkusen should at least be testing the top teams to a much larger extent.
Leverkusen also failed to oust third-placed Wolfsburg in their controversy-ridden meeting a few weeks ago. This time, Roger Schmidt’s men succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and once again were their own worst enemies, engineering plenty of chances but failing to grasp those opportunities.
Schalke have also suffered losses at the hands of the top three clubs, thumped 3-0 by Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena, a narrow 3-2 loss to Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park and falling 3-1 to a ruthless Bayern squad at the Veltins Arena. André Breitenreiter and his men challenged the top two teams, clinching goals from a low number of attempts, in contrast to Schmidt and his men who failed to deliver where it mattered most: the scoreboard.
So far in 2015-16, Leverkusen have failed to flourish in home matches, picking up just 10 points from a possible 18 and a return of just nine goals – quite underwhelming. Their two home defeats came against Darmstadt and more recently FC Koln. The Darmstadt clash was a huge upset considering it was just their fourth Bundesliga outing in the last 33 years. The showdown against Koln was arguably Leverkusen’s worst performance in 2015. They barely won possession and orchestrated significantly fewer shots than the opposition.
Schalke accompany Leverkusen in various aspects. The Veltins Arena outfit have also lost twice at home, while both sides have scored an underwhelming 17 goals after 13 enthralling matchdays.
Schalke have lost 50% of their matches on the road, conceding a total of nine goals. The other 50% has seen the Royal Blues win three matches against Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen – keeping clean sheets in those victories.
Schalke commenced the current campaign in brilliant fashion, victorious on six occasions and drawing once from their first nine outings, securing 19 points from a possible 27. Little did Schalke know, proceedings were about to take a swift turn. The next four fixtures concluded in three defeats and a stalemate, with just one point claimed from a potential 12. Schalke now have 20 points from a possible 39.
Schalke’s most recent victory in all competitions was a domestic home clash on 18 October against Hertha Berlin. Both German clubs had midweek fixtures in Europe – Leverkusen were held 1-1 by BATE Borisov in Belarus while Schalke hosted Cypriot outfit APOEL Nicosia, securing a comfortable 1-0 victory.
Schalke played two days after their impending opponents, which means Leverkusen will have an extra two days preparation for the enticing spectacle this weekend. This coupled with Schalke’s dreadful form as of late should provide Leverkusen with a slight edge. It is a glorious chance for Leverkusen to establish themselves as a comprehensive top four contender.
Javier Hernandez’ seven-game goalscoring parade came to an end in Belarus, but his Bundesliga streak is still in tact. It would not be wise to bet against the Mexican netting in a fifth consecutive domestic outing.
Admir Mehmedi has emerged as a secondary source of goals, netting seven and assisting three in all competitions; his exceptional form has mustered four goals and two assist in Leverkusen’s last seven.
Klaas Jan Huntelaar and young prodigy Leroy Sane have been Schalke’s vast potent players on an attacking front. The Dutchman has netted seven goals in all competitions, while Sane has contributed five goals and five assists in all contests.
The clinical duos from both sides will be licking their lips at the prospect of scoring against defences that have appeared surprisingly more vulnerable in recent weeks.
A win for either side will be massive. The three points will be the biggest coup but it will also include the bonus of a worthy mental boost. Depending on other results, a victory could see either one of these clubs rise as high as fourth, while a defeat would be gloomy and could behold a destination of 11th for one of the sides. A draw would perhaps result in mutual disappointment as both clubs are capable of collecting the three points come game day.
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