SCHALKE 04 VS. WOLFSBURG

Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg are set to kick things off in Bundesliga Gameweek 20 with a lopsided contest at the Veltins Arena.

Following a goalless home draw against Cologne, Schalke eked out another scoreless stalemate at Borussia Monchengladbach last time out, avoiding defeat in back-to-back Bundesliga matches for the first time since September. However, winless in all four league outings in 2023 (D2, L2), the ‘Miners’ are experiencing their second-worst points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign (11) and are unsurprisingly stuck at the bottom. It’s not all lost yet, but Thomas Reis’ men have to launch a substantial winning streak to close an eight-point gap on 15th-placed Bochum. Wolfsburg’s visit to the Veltins Arena cannot inspire much confidence, with Schalke going winless in their last five top-flight H2Hs (D2, L3).

On the other hand, after winning six consecutive Bundesliga games by an aggregate scoreline of 22-1, Wolfsburg have lost their last two league outings, conceding six goals, four of which came in a 4-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich last weekend. All competitions included, Niko Kovac’s men have suffered three straight losses in the lead-up to this fixture, conceding 11 times in the process. However, ‘Die Wolfe’ have fond memories of their recent visits to Gelsenkirchen, having won their last two top-flight away H2Hs via multi-goal margins. Unfortunately, that’s not the whole picture, as those two wins are as many as Wolfsburg had in their 17 previous Bundesliga trips to Schalke.