Separated by a mere two points, two giants of the German game will take on each other in a direct battle for fourth place.
Oka Nikolov stood firm in goal instead of yet another victim of injury, Kevin Trapp. Michel Bastos struck the penalty. The veteran saved. Frankfurt held on to a 1-0 victory. Last week, Schalke was presented with a golden chance to push ahead of their competitors in fourth as well as eliminate a direct rival in the competition. Instead, Schalke allowed Frankfurt into the race and opened up a five way competition for one Champions League qualifying spot.
One of the teams they allowed back into the hunt was Hamburger SV. Hamburg recorded a narrow 2-1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf last week and now sits just two points behind Schalke. HSV is seemingly pushing above their weight as they rely on Rafael Van der Vaart to produce the goods in midfield heavily. Van der Vaart is one of the reasons that they are still in contention for a place in Europe’s premier club competition.
The previous meeting between the two Blue clubs finished heavily in favor of Hamburger SV, 3-1. Hamburg has beaten both Ruhr clubs this season. They recorded two brilliant victories over Borussia Dortmund. Maximilian Beister and one of HSV’s best signings this season, Artjoms Rudnevs gave the dinosaurs of the Bundesliga a 2-0 lead. Schalke started a late fight back through Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The Dutchman was guilty of missing a penalty later. As Schalke pushed on for an equalizer, HSV caught them at the opposite end, Milan Badelj, another of HSV’s new recruits, struck the third goal.
Both sides recorded three wins in their previous six meetings. Who will win this time is anybody’s guess. Every time it seems like Schalke has steadied the ship, they manage to wreck it. The draw against Leverkusen was supposed to lift them enough to beat Frankfurt. Instead, Nikolov’s heroics denied them. They are holding on to fourth place by a thread.
While either side will be hoping for a victory for their own side, the neutral Bundesliga fan might hope to see a Schalke win as Schalke is better equipped than HSV to enter the Champions League due to the quality of their squad and due to experience. HSV’s faithful still do not know whether to trust their coach Thorsten Fink. Much was expected of the coach when he left Basel for HSV. Expectations have certainly not been met.
As far as the match is concerned, Schalke will have to be careful on set pieces as HSV does pose a threat. Hamburg will be concerned with shutting down Schalke’s midfield. Whether Hamburg will have a game plan at all is up for debate. Also, Schalke no longer seems to play in the planned manner in which they did in the opening months of the season either.
Who will win this hugely important match?
Prediction: Schalke 1-2 Hamburg
One of the teams they allowed back into the hunt was Hamburger SV. Hamburg recorded a narrow 2-1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf last week and now sits just two points behind Schalke. HSV is seemingly pushing above their weight as they rely on Rafael Van der Vaart to produce the goods in midfield heavily. Van der Vaart is one of the reasons that they are still in contention for a place in Europe’s premier club competition.
The previous meeting between the two Blue clubs finished heavily in favor of Hamburger SV, 3-1. Hamburg has beaten both Ruhr clubs this season. They recorded two brilliant victories over Borussia Dortmund. Maximilian Beister and one of HSV’s best signings this season, Artjoms Rudnevs gave the dinosaurs of the Bundesliga a 2-0 lead. Schalke started a late fight back through Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The Dutchman was guilty of missing a penalty later. As Schalke pushed on for an equalizer, HSV caught them at the opposite end, Milan Badelj, another of HSV’s new recruits, struck the third goal.
Both sides recorded three wins in their previous six meetings. Who will win this time is anybody’s guess. Every time it seems like Schalke has steadied the ship, they manage to wreck it. The draw against Leverkusen was supposed to lift them enough to beat Frankfurt. Instead, Nikolov’s heroics denied them. They are holding on to fourth place by a thread.
While either side will be hoping for a victory for their own side, the neutral Bundesliga fan might hope to see a Schalke win as Schalke is better equipped than HSV to enter the Champions League due to the quality of their squad and due to experience. HSV’s faithful still do not know whether to trust their coach Thorsten Fink. Much was expected of the coach when he left Basel for HSV. Expectations have certainly not been met.
As far as the match is concerned, Schalke will have to be careful on set pieces as HSV does pose a threat. Hamburg will be concerned with shutting down Schalke’s midfield. Whether Hamburg will have a game plan at all is up for debate. Also, Schalke no longer seems to play in the planned manner in which they did in the opening months of the season either.
Who will win this hugely important match?
Prediction: Schalke 1-2 Hamburg
