Bundesliga is the first of Europe’s top leagues to restart the league campaign after the suspension due to COVID-19. The 26th Matchday starts this weekend on 16th May. And it starts with a thriller, the Revierderby. It refers to the derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 of the Ruhr region in Germany. Schalke travels to Signal-Iduna Park to win a game after not winning their last 6 games.
Dortmund are 2nd in the league table, four points behind Bayern Munich. Schalke, on the other hand, are sixth with 37 points from 25 games. Meetings between the two sides have always been close and nervy affairs. There have been some scintillating encounters between the two sides in the past.
Let’s check out some facts before the game:
1. Schalke haven’t won a match in the last 6 attempts.
2. Dortmund has scored at least one goal in their last 5 home games.
3. Schalke haven’t scored in the last 4 away games.
4. Schalke haven’t won a game in six attempts
Now we take a look at how the last 5 meetings between these two sides panned out:
1. Schalke 0-0 Dortmund (Bundesliga) – 26th October 2019
Dortmund travelled to Veltins-Arena for their round 9 game against Schalke. Both teams wanted to win to stay ahead in the title race. Both teams played a draw. Schalke came close to scoring in the 1st half on two occasions by hitting the woodwork. Die Königsblauen got another good opportunity to win the game in the second half but teenager Matondo missed the chance. After the game, Dortmund remained on 16 points with only one win in the last 5 games with Schalke on 15.
2. Dortmund 2-4 Schalke (Bundesliga) – 27th April 2019
Dortmund suffered a setback when they played Schalke at home last season. Dortmund were just 1 point behind leaders Bayern Munich before coming to this game and their title hopes shattered as they lost to Schalke in the Ruhr Valley derby. Gotze opened the scoring for Dortmund in the 13th min but Schalke equalized 4 mins later through Caliguri’s penalty. Schalke went ahead in the first half through Salif Sane header. The second half was full of drama as two Dortmund players were red-carded and they conceded another goal, all inside 5 mins. They scored one back through Witsel but conceded again the next min. The game ended ina 2-4 loss to Dortmund and Bayern extended their lead to four points.
3. Schalke 1-2 Dortmund (Bundesliga) – 8th December 2018
Dortmund were league leaders when they went to Veltins-Arena for round 14 game against Schalke. Delaney opened the scoring for Dortmund early in the game with a header from Reus’ cross. Schalke equalized through Caliguri’s penalty. Sancho won the game for BVB sending them nine points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich.
4. Schalke 2-0 Dortmund (Bundesliga) – 15th April 2018
Schalke faced Dortmund at home in the 30th matchday of Bundesliga 2017-18. Schalke were second in the Bundesliga behind leaders Bayern by 20 points. Dortmund were 4th with 51 points. Dortmund needed a win to fight for the UCL spot, but their plans were quashed as they lost to Schalke. Konoplyanka scored the first goal of the game and Naldo scored the second. Schalke remained second, four points above fourth-placed Dortmund.
5. Dortmund 4-4 Schalke (Bundesliga) – 25th November 2017
In what was one of the most thrilling Rivierderby ever played, Schalke came back from four down to draw the game at Sigal Aduna Park. Aubameyang scored the opening goal for BVB, sliding the ball past Fahrmann. Dortmund scored two more two mins through Stambouli’s own goal and Gotze’s header. They scored another one 5 mins later. Burgstaller scored one back for Schalke in the 53rd min. Amin Harit scored another one for Schalke due to Dortmund’s shocking defending. Aubameyang was sent off in his last Rivierderby for a poor challenge on Harit. Schalke scored their third in the 86th min through Caliguri and the game went in for a grandstand final mins. Schalke were able to pull off the impossible as Naldo headed home the equalizer in the 94th min, sending the travelling supporters into ruptures.
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