Schalke 04 vs Bayern Munich

Schalke 04’s final Bundesliga match ahead of the World Cup break pits them against perennial German champions Bayern Munich at the Veltins Arena.

A swift return to Germany’s second-tier competition is on the cards for Schalke following a nightmarish 2022/23 Bundesliga start (W2, D3, L9). Nailed to the bottom of the table, five points adrift of safety, ‘Die Knappen’ at least pulled off a morale-boosting 1-0 home win over Mainz in midweek Bundesliga action to arrest a dreadful run of seven league defeats on the trot. But you’d have to go back to 2009 for Schalke’s last top-flight win over Bayern, with Thomas Reis’ side going winless in their subsequent 21 Bundesliga H2Hs since then (D3, L18)! All competitions included, the hosts have lost ten consecutive encounters against this opposition since a 1-1 away draw in February 2017.

Meanwhile, visiting Bayern Munich have hit the ground running after a sluggish 2022/23 start as they head into proceedings on the run of nine straight wins in all competitions, including a 6-1 demolition of Werder Bremen in midweek Bundesliga action. Indeed, Julian Nagelsmann’s men have won their last five competitive away games, netting a resounding average of 3.4 goals per match. Scoring at will has been Bayern’s thing this season, with their current 47-goal tally after 14 Bundesliga rounds only ever being topped once in the history of the competition. Delivering action from the get-go, the record-time German champions have bagged 2+ first-half goals on their last three competitive road trips!