Our prediction for this Bundesliga match:
Veltins Arena will host Saturday’s Bundesliga game between Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen, the two teams with entirely different ambitions in the season finale. Schalke are fighting hard to avoid relegation to 2. Bundesliga, while Bayer are eyeing a spot in European competitions. Die Knappen have been producing fine displays in the second half of the season, and given their four-match unbeaten run on home soil, we predict that the relegation-threatened hosts are going to grab something from the round 26 clash.
Eder Balanta limped off with injury at the weekend, with Rodrigo Zalazar likely to step up, whill all Jenz, Brunner, Drexler, and Uronen remain in the recovery room, to name just a few. The BayArena outfit, on the other hand, were producing excellent displays before the international break, with the team winning each of their last league matches. Beating Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, though, is easier said than done, and, taking everything into account, the share of spoils is on the horizon. All Frimpong, Amiri, Schick, Lunev, and Aranguiz should miss out with injuries for the visiting side.
Highlighted Player (Kerem Demirbay):
Kerem Demirbay is a product of Schalke 04 football academy. After playing for die Knappen from 1999 to 2007 he joined Borussia Dortmund and it has to be noted that he played for Wattenscheid during his youth career as well. The German footballer of Turkish descent made 28 appearances for Borussia Dortmund II before joining Hamburger SV senior team in 2013.
However, you should know that he played no more than three games in Bundesliga for die Rothosen. Kerem Demirbay played for Kaiserslautern and Fortuna Dusseldorf on loan from 2014 to 2016 and he moved to Hoffenheim in the summer of 2016. Kerem Demirbay scored six goals, while providing ten assists for his teammates in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign.
Demirbay, who was born in Herten, Germany on July 3, 1993 is an attacking midfielder, but he is used as both central and right midfielder as well. The Hoffenheim ace played international youth football for Turkey, but he decided to represent Germany at senior level. Kerem Demirbay made his debut for Germany in a friendly against Denmark on June 6, 2017.
Highlighted Team (Schalke):
Schalke 04 are a professional football club founded in 1904. Die Knappen (The Miners) compete in German Bundesliga and they have won seven domestic titles. Schalke have clinched five German Cup trophies as well, while lifting the UEFA Cup title in 1997. The German club defeated Italian side Inter on penalties in the title game and that was the last time the final of the competition was played in a two-legged format.
Schalke 04 play their home matches at Veltins-Arena, the stadium that has been the home of the team since 2001. The capacity of Veltins-Arena is 62,271. It is well known that Borussia Dortmund are Schalke’s main rivals and the Ruhy neighbours face each other in the Revierderby.
The likes of Klaus Fichtel (477), Norbert Nigbur (355), Rolf Russmann (304), Klaus Fischer (295), Olaf Thon (295) and Herbert Lutkebohmert (286) are the players with most appearances for die Knappen. The colour of Schalke’s home kit is blue.