Schalke proved that they have what it takes to compete with the best of the Bundesliga in their 2-2 draw against Leverkusen last week; their next opponent is none other than the Eagles, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ji Dong-Won stole the headlines at Frankfurt’s cost during the last Bundesliga weekend. A team fighting for their lives in the league performed exactly as they were expected to against a rather weary opponent- with plenty of will. Augsburg took down Frankfurt, 2-0. Frankfurt’s incredible first half of the season is definitely what is keeping them up at the moment. Die Adler’s form in 2013 would have otherwise surely left them in the relegation zone.

Schalke meanwhile is holding on to fourth spot tightly for the moment. They were expected to finish in the top three at the beginning of the season; considering the events of November to March, the Royal Blues are indeed lucky to even be in the Champions League qualifying spot. They have finally found their feet again and they will not let go of Frankfurt easily.

Schalke has to peek behind them rather than glance ahead as far as the table is concerned. Freiburg is right behind them. The small club can overtake them if they slip up as the distance is a mere point. The previous meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw. Klaas Jan Huntelaar opened the scoring; Stefan Aigner equalized just two minutes later. All the action finished in the opening 13 minutes as no goals followed. Karim Matmour received his second yellow card with three minutes of normal time left and was sent off.

This time, it does not perhaps matter how the sides match up. Frankfurt consists of players whose minds and bodies are weary. Plenty of Schalke’s players are only beginning to return from injury. Also, this Schalke side went to a mini hibernation till March. Hence, the Royal Blues are the fresher of the two. They also have more quality on the bench than Frankfurt.

Nonetheless, a side containing the likes of Sebastian Rode, Sebastian Jung, Pirmin Schwegler, Takashi Inui and Alex Meier is still formidable. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the talent Schalke boasts, despite the inconsistent performances, exceeds that of Frankfurt. Julian Draxler in particular might be licking his lips ahead of a match against a team consisting of a weary back four.

Schalke at the beginning of the season took a measured approach to matches. They counterattacked against some teams such as Arsenal and attacked the weaker sides. In some matches, they attacked for a half and defended for another such as in the first Revierderby. Frankfurt meanwhile always tried to dominate possession throughout the season in an effort to break down the opponent patiently.

This time, the roles might be reversed; Schalke might dominate the match. The Royal Blues should win this one; however, Schalke has a tendency to mess up at the worst possible times of course.

Who will win this intriguing battle?

Prediction: Frankfurt 1-2 Schalke