Borussia Dortmund and Schalke face off in an exciting tie after an exciting week on Saturday evening at the Veltins-Arena. Both teams have a long history of rivalry with each other, and these local German rivals are the only teams in the Bundesliga to have gone unbeaten since the second half of the season. Borussia Dortmund have played 23, winning 16, drawing one, and losing six. They are tied at the top with Bayern and are eyeing German glory. The hosts have won only four out of 23; with 12 losses and seven draws, they sit in 17th with 19 points in all. Although Schalke have picked up the pace in recent weeks, Borussia Dortmund’s bitter UCL exit will have them motivated to deliver a thrashing performance in the remainder of the Bundesliga. Below are some stats from both teams from the current season to help understand why Borussia Dortmund have the upper hand.
An overpowered Borussia Dortmund
The viz above shows the percentile rank of both teams’ stats compared to each other as well as to other teams in the Bundesliga for 2022–23. It can be seen that both teams Borussia Dortmund dominate Schalke in all the departments. The difference between the two sides on the table is visible in their percentile ranks for various stats as well. Notably, Schalke makes a decent amount of crosses, something to keep in mind for Borussia Dortmund players.
Racking goals vs looking for scraps
Schalke have taken a total of 259 shots and managed to score on 14 of them from open play. They are one of the least successful teams in terms of goals this season and have an overall xG of only 26.33 as compared to the hosts, who are at 40.98 xG. They average 11.3 shots per 90, with a 29.7% accuracy. They have found the back of the net only once from a distance.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have scored a total of 43 goals from open play and have taken a total of 317 shots, which shows why Schalke may be in for some total dominance at home. The team averages 13.87 shots per 90 minutes (42.6 % accuracy) and has scored close to ten goals from outside the box.
Progressive gameplay
The two visuals above compare both teams on the basis of progressive passes. While both teams use the flanks significantly to move the ball forward and attempt a similar amount of progressive passes, Schalke deliver more passes and cross more accurately into the box from the wide positions compared to Borussia Dortmund.
Schalke have an average of 42.61 passes to the final third with 61% accuracy, compared to 56.43 such passes with 76.8% accuracy by the visitors. In terms of possession rate, Borussia Dortmund sees more of the ball with 56.88% possession compared to the host’s 44.7%.
Success for Schalke in terms of high pressure
The two visuals above compare both teams based on their ability to regain possession high up the pitch. Schalke holds the advantage in this department, averaging 93.61 recoveries compared to the 80.61 made by Borussia Dortmund. The home side has also had more recoveries in and around the box, with some of these recoveries resulting in eventual shot attempts (dangerous recoveries). Schalke have made seven dangerous recoveries inside the box compared to nine made by Borussia Dortmund.
Key player for Borussia Dortmund
Jude Bellingham is one of the best players in Europe going forward. In the 2022–23 German Bundesliga season, Jude Bellingham has played 21 matches (plus one as a sub). He has 15 shots on target from a total of 41 and has scored four goals (4.77 xG). Jude Bellingham averages 51 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 82% and also has four assists. He too will look to display his best against a weak Schalke side.
Team news
Edin Terzic will miss out on Gregor Kobel, Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, and Youssoufa Moukoko as they remain sidelined by injury. Schalke, meanwhile, plays without Dominick Drexler, Soichiro Kozuki, and Danny Latza owing to injuries.
Overall, it is deemed to be an exciting face-off between the local rivals as both teams look to redeem themselves and get into better positions on the table. Borussia Dortmund will look to forget the past by trying to wreak havoc on the pitch as Schalke try and survive a fierce relegation battle.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
