With Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich meeting on Friday night, the great action keeps coming in the Bundesliga on the weekend. On Saturday night, RB Leipzig welcome Schalke to the Red Bull Arena in a match which should be very exciting to watch.
While the Bundesliga title may be out of reach for both teams this season, qualification for the Champions League is very much on the menu.
RB Leipzig start the match in fifth place in the Bundesliga on 28 points but know a win would be good enough to see them leapfrog Schalke into second place. However, a defeat for either team could easily see them slide a few places down the table, so there is much to play for in this game.
Trends show RB Leipzig struggled towards the end of 2017 and they failed to win any of their final five matches of the year.
There were defeats to Hoffenheim and Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga plus a loss at the hands of Besiktas in the Champions League. RB Leipzig were also held by Wolfsburg and Mainz in the Bundesliga and Ralph Hasenhuttl will be hoping to get off to a winning start in 2018.
RB Leipzig may not have been picking up many wins recently but have been very entertaining to watch. There have been over 2.5 goals scored in five of their last seven Bundesliga games and at home their fans have seen over 2.5 goals scored in seven of their last nine league matches.
RB Leipzig have scored 2 or more goals in eight of their last nine home Bundesliga games.
Schalke travel to the Red Bull Arena defending a thirteen-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Trends show they have won seven and drawn six of those games and in the Bundesliga Schalke have won five of their last eleven games.
Therefore, while remaining difficult to beat, Schalke have been struggling to win matches and they have drawn four of their last five in the league. Many of these have been very exciting games and they have seen plenty of goals scored including a 3-2 win, two 2-2 draws and a 4-4 draw.
Trends show Schalke have scored at least 2 goals in five of their last six league games and have not tasted defeat in their previous five away Bundesliga matches.
Looking ahead to the team news and RB Leipzig will be without full-back Marcel Halstenberg who is nursing a fractured hand. He is the only absentee and RB Leipzig will be at full strength for this game.
Schalke are still without central defender Pablo Insua but much like their opponents they will have their strongest team out and that only adds to what should be a tremendous match.
It would be a huge surprise if we don’t see goals in this game and although it is tough to pick which team might come out on top, over 2.5 goals is a good prediction.