Preview: Can Schalke stand up to the challenge?
Had Julian Draxler hit the ball either side of Iker Casillas rather than at him, the score might have been so different. The match might have turned. But Schalke was left to rue missed chances and lackadaisical defending as Real toyed with them. Their next task is set to be harder considering that they lost a number of players to injury in the UEFA Champions League. Nonetheless, the exit from Europe this season could help them finish in the top four in the league by allowing the players to rest more.
Bayern’s injury list is not too long. Franck Ribery and Thomas Müller will both be unavailable for selection due to some minor injury problems. Holger Badstuber is making his way back into the game slowly. For Schalke, Marco Höger, Christian Clemens, Dennis Aogo, Atsuto Uchida and Jan Kirchoff are all out of this one. Felipe Santana sustained some problems against Real and is out. Sead Kolasinac is a doubt as well.
It is no secret that Bayern is dominating the Bundesliga. Often times, it seems opposing fans want to see Bayern apologize for their dominance. Karl Heinz Rummenigge completely put to bed the need for such apologies as BBC Sport found out:
“Bayern Munich will neither make excuses nor apologise for our good work.
I don't remember anyone in at the Winter Olympics in Sochi demanding that the dominant German luge competitors should go slower that so that the opposition could keep it.
Nobody suggested to the Dutch speed skating team in Sochi, who cleaned up all the medals, that they should race in ski boots to make it more interesting.
It should be remembered that this is a sporting competition, which is about achieving the best conditions and putting on the best performances and imposing yourself on the opponent, whether it be at the Winter Olympics or the Bundesliga."
Can Schalke compete against this football machine? Or will they pull of an unlikely upset?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Bayern München vs Schalke 04 live on Saturday, March 1, 2014:
In Canada at 12:30 ET on GolTV Canada
In the UK at 17:30 GMT on BT Sport 1
In the US at 12:30 ET on GolTV USA
In Germany, viewers can tune into Sky Go to watch this match amongst other networks.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the Bayern-Schalke match page.
