1. Bundesliga
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Played
February 26, 2012 2:30 PM GMT
Allianz-Arena — München
Referee:‬ M. Weiner‎
Attendance:‬ 69000‎
 
36′ Franck Ribéry
 
55′ Franck Ribéry
 

Bayern Munich – Schalke Preview: Bundesliga's top scorers meet as Bavarians look to end slump in form

FCB have far from set the league alight since the Christmas break, giving up the top spot after recording only two wins in five matches in the German top flight

By Stephen Crawford

More On :  FC Bayern München, Schalke 04, FC Bayern München vs Schalke 04
FC Bayern Munich, Coach Jupp Heynckes
Bongarts


PROBABLE LINEUPS

BAYERN MUNICH


Neuer
Rafinha, Boateng, Badstuber, Lahm
Luiz Gustavo, Kroos
Robben, Muller, Ribery
Gomez

SCHALKE


 Hildebrand
Howedes, Papadopoulos, Metzelder, Fuchs
Matip, Hoger
Farfan, Raul, Draxler
Huntelaar

Fresh from their 1-0 Champions League loss in Basel, Bayern Munich are still without the talismanic Bastian Schweinsteiger as the influential midfielder continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the Bavarians' 2-0 Pokal win over Stuttgart.

At the back, Jerome Boateng is likely to line up next to Holger Badstuber once more in the centre of defence as Daniel Van Buyten continues to toil with a broken metatarsal, while additional absentees include Breno and Diego Contento, who are both working on regaining match fitness.

For Schalke, Jermaine Jones continues his suspension for deliberately stomping on Marco Reus' broken toe, and will be joined on the sidelines by a torn-ACL-nursing Ralf Fahrmann.

Finally, coach Huub Stevens is unable to call upon the services of Lars Unnerstall and Sergio Escudero who will also miss the clash through injury.


 DID YOU KNOW
  • In the 41 occasions that Bayern have hosted Schalke over the years, the Gelsenkirchen side have only managed to take home three points on six occasions. Most recently, the Bavarians have won their last two clashes against Sunday's visitors – both home and away.
  • While FCB have been struggling for form of late, the hosts have actually won their last five matches at the Allianz Arena in all competitions.
  • In their last 19 trips to Bayern, Schalke have only managed to score more than one goal on one occasion: a 3-1 win in April of last year.

  • If the Royal Blues can repeat the feat and score three goals on Sunday, they will reach a tally of 100 goals against Bayern in the Bundesliga.

  • Both sides boast the Bundesliga's top scorers for the season as Mario Gomez and Klass-Jan Huntelaar have each notched an impressive 18 goals in 21 appearances so far.

While FCB have been struggling for form of late, the hosts have actually won their last five matches at the Allianz in all competitions.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • FC Bayern München 2-0 Schalke 04
    15.18 %
  • FC Bayern München 1-2 Schalke 04
    12.71 %
  • FC Bayern München 2-1 Schalke 04
    11.58 %
Head to Head
1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Feb 9, 2013 FC Bayern München 4 - Schalke 04 0
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Sep 22, 2012 Schalke 04 0 - FC Bayern München 2
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Feb 26, 2012 FC Bayern München 2 - Schalke 04 0
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Sep 18, 2011 Schalke 04 0 - FC Bayern München 2
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Apr 30, 2011 FC Bayern München 4 - Schalke 04 1
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Last Five Matches
FC Bayern München
May 18, 2013Borussia Mönchengladbach 3 - FC Bayern München 4GER1
May 11, 2013FC Bayern München 3 - FC Augsburg 0GER1
May 4, 2013Borussia Dortmund 1 - FC Bayern München 1GER1
May 1, 2013FC Barcelona 0 - FC Bayern München 3UCL
Apr 27, 2013FC Bayern München 1 - SC Freiburg 0GER1
Schalke 04
May 18, 2013SC Freiburg 1 - Schalke 04 2GER1
May 11, 2013Schalke 04 1 - VfB Stuttgart 2GER1
May 3, 2013Borussia Mönchengladbach 0 - Schalke 04 1GER1
Apr 28, 2013Schalke 04 4 - Hamburg 1GER1
Apr 20, 2013Eintracht Frankfurt 1 - Schalke 04 0GER1
Odds
Returns: Bayern £14.44 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £460.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Schalke £710.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
1Manuel NeuerGoalkeeper
13RafinhaMidfielder
17Jerome BoatengDefender
21Philipp LahmDefender
28Holger BadstuberDefender
7Franck RibéryMidfielder
10Arjen RobbenMidfielder
27D. AlabaMidfielder
30Luiz Gustavo DiasMidfielder
25Thomas MüllerStriker
33Mario GomezStriker
22Hans-Jörg ButtGoalkeeper
23Danijel PranjicMidfielder
39Toni KroosMidfielder
44Anatoliy TymoshchukMidfielder
38Emre CanMidfielder
24Nils PetersenStriker
11Ivica OlicStriker
34Timo HildebrandGoalkeeper
4Benedikt HöwedesDefender
14Kyriakos PapadopoulosDefender
21Christoph MetzelderDefender
23Christian FuchsDefender
32Joel MatipMidfielder
12Marco HögerMidfielder
31Julian DraxlerMidfielder
7RaúlStriker
17Jefferson Agustin FarfánStriker
25Klaas-Jan HuntelaarStriker
33Mathias SchoberGoalkeeper
22Atsuto UchidaDefender
7Lewis HoltbyMidfielder
28Christoph MoritzMidfielder
8Ciprian MaricaStriker
19Chinedu Ogbuke ObasiStriker
20Teemu PukkiStriker
Players to Watch
Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 33
Games Goals YC RC
21 11 0 0
There can be only one to watch from either team, and for Bayern it's their top scorer and line-leader. While important players such as Franck Ribery will be looked at to provide the spark, it is Gomez to whom the eyes will turn to get the Bavarians scoring again.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 25
Games Goals YC RC
26 10 6 1
No pace and little skill - how does Huntelaar do it? The Dutchman comes up with the goods game after game without really looking like he's putting in any effort. Keep a close eye on the Bundesliga's joint-top scorer getting himself into positions to cause FCB some damage.
Prediction
With Bayern in a slump and Schalke able to seemingly pull a result from nowhere, this tie is a difficult one to call.

However, after the Bavarians' Champions League loss against Basel, the club's hierarchy will no doubt have given the squad a stern talking to, so a narrow win for the hosts is not out of the question.
Editor's Prediction
Bayern 2
Schalke 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Stefan Kießling Stefan Kießling
Striker
Leverkusen 		25 4
Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski
Striker
Dortmund 		24 1
Alexander Meier Alexander Meier
Midfielder
Eintracht Frankfurt 		17 3
Vedad Ibisevic Vedad Ibisevic
Striker
VfB Stuttgart 		15 5
Mario Mandzukic Mario Mandzukic
Striker
Bayern 		15 0