On Sunday, the Dortmund "Borussia" team will face a 32-kilometer journey to the "Veltins-Arena" stadium, where the 148th "Revierderby" match against the "Schalke" team will take place. Fear The Wall tried to delve deeper into the importance of this match and the significance of the derby for both teams.
This match comes at a difficult time for both clubs, and the fans of neither team will travel to these matches with only one goal in mind - they will be satisfied only with a victory. Such fan and public attitude undoubtedly makes this match unique and puts even greater pressure on the players.
Looking only at the results in the Bundesliga matches - these matches are much more important to the "Schalke" team, and failure would affect them much more. Last weekend, after a devastating 0:3 loss to the "FC Ingolstadt" team, they dropped from fourth to seventh position in the German championship.
"I think everyone knows what to expect from the match, and we certainly won't need any additional motivation. Everyone knows that we played terribly against Ingolstadt. That alone should be enough to motivate the players," - said "Schalke" coach Andre Breitenreiter before the match.
Although "Schalke" is only a few points away from the position where clubs finish the season and have a chance to participate in next year's European competitions, they are four points away from third place, which allows direct entry into the Champions League next season, and there are still several matches left in the season. Furthermore, the next two matches for "S04" will certainly not be easier - they will face the league leaders, "Bayern" team, and the team in fourth place, "Bayer" team.
The situation for their geographical neighbors is somewhat different - these matches are between two Europa League matches with Juergen Klopp's "Liverpool" team. In the first match in Dortmund, the "Reds" drew 1:1 with "Borussia", so the return match will be extremely important for Dortmund's footballers. Thomas Tuchel's protégés are still considered favorites to win the Europa League, but after Thursday's match, their chances are being evaluated more cautiously.
"Perhaps the fact that the derby is sandwiched between matches with Liverpool will be to our advantage. This may help us approach this meeting more calmly," Tuchel said positively, searching for positive aspects about the schedule.
How Dortmund will rotate their lineup raises many questions, and Tuchel mentioned that several players may miss this match to better prepare for the return matches in England. All eyes should undoubtedly be on Ilkay Gundogan, who returned to team training this week and is expected to play in Sunday's match. There is expected to be significant rotation in the defense line, and the coach should give Julian Weigl a rest. Shinji Kagawa and Christian Pulisic, who performed well in Thursday's match after coming on as substitutes, may also be thrown into the mix.
Schalke should field their strongest lineup, but they will also have some absences. Leon Goretzka, who suffered a shoulder injury in the last round, will not be able to help the team, and the loss of this player could seriously affect the "S04" defensive line.
The winner of the "Revierderby" will undoubtedly gain a huge boost for the remaining matches of this season. In addition to the usual prestige and honor of defeating their main rivals, adding the importance of the current stage of the season for each team makes it clear that victory in this match could be the most important factor in making the remaining part of the season successful for both the "Schalke" and the "Borussia" teams.
The match between "Schalke" and "Borussia" starts at 16:30.
