A case of contrasting fortunes as struggling Schalke welcome leaders Bayern

Topics: Bundesliga, Schalke, Bayern Munich, TV Schedules

Two teams with opposite fortunes will lock horns on Sunday, January 24th as relegation-threatened Schalke welcome league leaders Bayern Munich.

Preview: Schalke vs Bayern

Earlier this month, Schalke finally got a much-needed win as they beat Hoffenheim 4-0, with American international Matthew Hoppe writing his name in the history books. The California-born teenager scored all four goals for his team and thus becomes the first American player to grab a poker in one match. Unfortunately, any elation supporters of die Königsblauen felt was short lived, as Christian Gross's men went on to lose their next two games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Köln.

The struggling hosts come into this game having won just one of their last five league games, with losses in the other four. In fact, their win over Hoffenheim two rounds prior is the only win for Schalke in their last 33 Bundesliga matches. To complicate matters, they have lost their last nine meetings with Bayern (across all comps), and that includes their last six in the Bundesliga. Certainly, their last clash with Bayern - which saw them suffer a humiliating 8-0 defeat - will still be fresh in their minds as they welcome die Roten on Sunday.

As for Bayern, they come into this tie having earned a 1-0 win over Augsburg. This result is notable as it's the first time the Bavarian titans have been able to keep a clean sheet since October 24th, when they cruised to a 5-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. Star striker Robert Lewandowski's penalty - his 22nd goal so far this term - was enough to give Hansi Flick's side all three points, and Lewandowski will certainly be looking to add to his rapidly growing total in this upcoming match.

Although Bayern have not been in sparlking form lately - the worst of this being their humiliating loss in the DFB-Pokal to minnows Holstein Kiel - the visitors will certainly feel confident they can make it a seventh straight win over their embattled hosts. Indeed, Schalke have shipped a whopping 44 goals already this season, making their defense the worst in the league, and it's no surprise that they unfortunately are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Team news: Schalke vs Bayern

Schalke: To complicate an already difficult task, the hosts will come into this match missing quite a few players. Kilian Ludewig, Steven Skrzybski, and Gonçalo Paciência are all still on the treatment table, while Nassim Boujellab is ill and Nabil Bentaleb has been excluded due to disciplinary issues. Finally, to add more stress for Goss, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Omar Mascarell, Salif Sané are all in doubt heading into this fixture.

Bayern: Tanguy Nianzou remains out for the long-term, while Corentin Tolisso is struggling with muscular problems.

Match facts: Schalke vs Bayern

Schalke have won just one of their last 33 Bundesliga games
Meanwhile, Bayern have won 30 of their last 36 league fixtures
Moreover, die Roten have won their last nine meetings with die Königsblauen across all competitions
In their last six Bundesliga matches, Bayern have outscored Schalke 22 goals to one
Bayern have kept clean sheets in all but two of their last 11 clashes with Schalke (in all comps)