Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04

Allianz Arena is the venue as title-bidding Bayern Munich and relegation-fighting Schalke 04 go head-to-head in a lopsided Bundesliga contest.

Last weekend’s 2-1 win at Werder Bremen kept Bayern Munich’s pursuit of a record-extending 11th consecutive Bundesliga title on track, maintaining a slim one-point lead on second-placed Borussia Dortmund. After a brace of winless league matches (D1, L1), Thomas Tuchel’s men have won the last two in a row, with all four goals scored in those victories coming in the second half of play. With only two home games left, the ‘Bavarians’ could complete the season as one of only two sides to go unbeaten in every home match in the 2022/23 Bundesliga season (W10, D5). However, a draw may not suffice for Bayern, who boast an outrageous record of 24 successive meetings with Schalke without losing in all competitions (W21, D3), including an 8-0 thumping in this corresponding fixture last season.

In the meantime, Schalke’s bid to avoid a swift return to the Bundesliga 2. looks livelier than ever after back-to-back wins over Mainz and Werder helped them finish the previous round two points clear of the drop zone. A goal-glutted 3-2 triumph at Mainz last time out ended the visitors’ three-match winless Bundesliga run on the road (D1, L2), marking only their second league victory on 15 travels this season (D5, L8). Manager Thomas Reis seems to have found the winning formula at the best possible time, with Schalke picking up three wins in their last four Bundesliga outings (L1), as many as they managed in their previous 21 league matches combined. But they’ll need a miracle this weekend after losing their last four top-flight visits to Bayern by an aggregate score of 18-2.