On Friday, starting at 19:30 pm, the match Schalke – Union Berlin will take place in the 13th round of the Bundesliga, the 2019/2020 edition. It will be the first direct meeting in the Bundesliga, and Schalke won the only dispute, 2-0 in the final of the German Cup in 2001. Friday’s match comes at a favorable time for both groups, unbeaten for 5 and 4 matches, respectively, in all competitions.
Schalke can build on the success of Bremen, 2-1, reaching 5 games without defeat. David Wagner’s team ranks 5th in the Bundesliga, with 22 points, being very well positioned in case of a positive result in this round. The “miners” are among the surprises of the season, being with 5 other teams with only 2 defeats suffered in the first 12 stages. Schalke has a series of 3 consecutive draws at Gelsenkirchen, the last with Dusseldorf, 3-3. We should not necessarily consider semi-failures, because the “blue” always had the initiative in front of their opponents.
After a reluctant start to the season, the newly promoted Union Berlin won the last 3 rounds of the Bundesliga, reaching 12th place in the standings with 16 points. The formation of the German capital achieved a very important victory with the leader Monchengladbach, score 2-0, “Manjii” having only 2 sutures on the door of Gikiewicz. Coach Urs Fischer returned the fate of Union Berlin after 4 consecutive defeats, ultimately succeeding with Freiburg, Hertha, Mainz and Monchengladbach. The moment is excellent for the “Steel ones” and they will evolve boldly in Gelsenkirchen.
Schalke has lost just one home game this season with Hoffenheim, and possession-based play could inconvenience Union Berlin, who need counter-attacking space. The form of both groups is excellent, however, and we expect success from both sides, and a draw with goals is a very likely result.
Probable teams
Schalke: Nübel (c) – Kenny, Kabak, Nastasic, Oczipka – Serdar, Mascarell – Caligiuri, McKennie, Harit – Raman
Coach: David Wagner
Union: Gikiewicz – Freidrich, Subotic, Schlotterbeck – Trimmel (c), Gentner, Andrich, Lenz – Ingvartsen, Bülter – Andersson
Coach: Urs Fischer
PREDICTION: Schalke to win @ 1,65
