Schalke face Bayer Leverkusen as they aim to end their winless streak

Schalke’s chances of winning against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday are bleak, as the away side’s strength in all three areas on the field is far superior to the Royal Blues.

Schalke’s winless streak has extended to 12 games after their 1-1 draw away at Union Berlin. Amazingly, though, they are still 11th on the table after the first round of games for matchday 31 concluded.

The Royal Blues must miss the taste of victory, and a win against a strong Bayer Leverkusen side would announce their revival late on in the season. A win would take them back into the top half of the table, ahead of currently ninth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from their 4-2 defeat to the champions Bayern Munich. If they do beat Schalke, it would take them to fourth on the table, three points clear of Borussia Mönchengladbach.

If the club wants to keep their highly-rated talent, Kai Havertz for next season, champions league qualification would be the bare minimum.

Team news

Schalke will be without two of their mainstays in midfield, Amine Harit and Suat Serdar, who have been ruled out for the rest of the season. Weston McKnennie will be back though after serving his suspension.

Leverkusen come into the game with great news, as Kai Havertz is likely to return to the lineup after missing the last two games because of a muscular injury. They will be without their right winger, Karim Bellarabi after he picked up a thigh injury.

Home manager (David Wagner)

“The goal is clear: we need to pick up points in this game. We will be there on Sunday, we will prove ourselves, and we want to show that we can do better, and that we’re not ducking away.“

Away manager (Peter Bosz)

“There’s no point looking at the game (Bayern Munich vs Borussia Monchengladbach) if we don’t win against Schalke ourselves, and that won’t be easy, of course. I’ve always said that there are no easy games in the Bundesliga. That also applies to us.”

Head-to-head

Ever since the 2016/17 Bundesliga season, Bayer Leverkusen have had the slight edge over their opponents. They have won three of the last seven games against Schalke, lost two, and drawn two.

The reverse fixture in December saw Bayer Leverkusen beat Schalke 2-1 with a double for Lucas Alario.