One of this weekend's most interesting matches in the Bundesliga will be the one between Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen. The hosts get to this match desperate to get three points in order to keep their European football hopes alive. On the other side of the pitch, Roger Schmidt's crew will try to extend a five-game winning streak that has propelled them to the third spot of the Bundesliga. A top four finish would guarantee Die Werkself a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, and adding points to their tally would help them secure that spot.
Here's a quick look at how these teams have performed this season.
Schalke 04
It's do or die time for Schalke 04, as their chances of earning a spot in European competitions next season are starting to fade away. After winning only two of their most recent six games, the Miners can't afford dropping more points at Veltins Arena, and in order to bounce back from their winless streak, coach André Breitenreiter will have to work without five players, including Sidney Sam, Atsudo Uchida and Benedikt Höwedes.
Last week, Schalke 04 lost 3-0 against Bayern Munich, and after such a disappointing performance, Breitenreiter seems to be willing to shake things up.
"Every injury-free player is an option, there may be a few surprises this weekend." #S04B04 pic.twitter.com/2RkBf8TxaA
— Schalke 04 USA (@s04_us) April 21, 2016
Bayer Leverkusen
Die Werkself have gone back to their winning ways in style, and their five consecutive wins speak for themselves. Schmidt's side recovered quite a good number of starters for this game, including center backs Ömer Toprak and Jonathan Tah, two players that will come in handy to help a solid defense that hasn't allowed a goal during their victorious run.
Up front, the red-and-black side will have the dynamic dup of Javier "Chicharito" Hernández and Stefan Kiessling. The Mexican striker recovered from a hard knock he picked up last week against Eintracht Frankfurt, and the German footballer will be highly motivated to play after signing a contract extension earlier this week.
Stefan #Kießling on extending his contract with #Bayer04 until 2018 pic.twitter.com/Lp8vGsL2NH
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 21, 2016
Head to head
Since 1979, these teams have played 63 games between them, with Bayer Leverkusen winning 28 of them. Bayer hasn't lost any of their most recent three games (2W, 1D), and their previous game this season ended with a one-all draw at BayArena.
Where to watch Schalke 04 vs Bayer Leverkusen on TV or online?
-
In Germany, on Sky Bundesliga 1/HD, Sky Go Deutschland, Sport1.FM & TeleClub Sport Live at 18:30 hrs CEST.
-
In the U.K., on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Live Streaming at 17:30 hrs BST.
-
In the U.S., on Fox Soccer Plus, GOLTV USA & Fox Soccer 2GO USA at 12:30 hrs EDT.
-
In Canada, on SportsNet World Now at 10:30 hrs PDT.
-
In Mexico, on Fox Sports Cono Sur at 11:30 hrs CDT.
Live elsewhere? Check out the Schalke 04 vs Bayer Leverkusen match page for detailed info to watch this game in your country.
*Please note that all live games, TV Schedules and online streaming info are subject to change.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
