After starting the season with a bang, Bayer Leverkusen have been on a roller coaster of a ride -- blowout wins, high scoring draws, and blowout losses all being a routine part of their season. It's all a function of new head coach Roger Schmidt's predilection towards all out attack. Fresh off a 2-0 win over Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Leverkusen will be looking to settle some of their questions in defense while maintaining their lethal attacking ability.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Schalke 04: Time, TV schedule, and game preview
Can Schalke 04 or Bayer Leverkusen fire their way back into the top four?
On the opposite side of the pitch, Schalke 04 and their new head coach Roberto di Matteo, have made it two wins in two since he took over from the enigmatic Jens Keller, including a controversial 4-3 win over Sporting CP on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Key player - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
The Dutch striker is the man for the Schalke. He's been their dominant force in attack for years and his first two games under Roberto di Matteo have seen him in excellent form, combining well with his attacking teammates. Notably that has included Julian Draxler. If Huntelaar is firing on all cylinders, Schalke will have the ability, and the opportunity, to put quite a few goals up against a Leverkusen defense that's shown a propensity to overcommit in attack.
Key matchup - Stefan Kießling vs. Benedikt Höwedes
Stefan Kießling has been one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga for many years now and undoubtedly the best German-born striker. This season, with an extremely potent attack swarming around him, Kießling has elevated his game to a new level where he's both a creative and goal scoring hub for this Bayer Leverkusen side. Opposing him though is Schalke and German national team stalwart Benedkit Höwedes. If Höwedes can contain and limit Kießling, Schalke may be able to keep the goals Leverkusen are sure to produce to a minimum.
Bayer Leverkusen injuries and suspensions
Out: Gonzalo Castro (hamstring), Simon Rolfes (rehab) In doubt: None.
Schalke 04 injuries and suspensions
Out: Felipe Santana (adductor), Sead Kolasinac (ACL), Leon Goretzka (rehab), Jefferson Farfan (ankle). In doubt: None
With both Gonzalo Castro and Simon Rolfes injured Bayer Leverkusen are going to have some interesting questions to solve in defensive midfield. While Lars Bender is easily one of the best holding midfielders in the Bundesliga, he lacks the creative spark both Castro and Rolfes can provide. WIthout either of them, the question of how the defense links up with Hakan Calhanoglu becomes an interesting question.
On the Schalke side of things, the continued absence of Felipe Santana poses questions in depth at centerback, while the continued absences of Leon Goretzka and Jefferson Farfan just means Schalke don't have an overabundance of high quality attacking midfield talent (a concern now doubly more important as Roberto di Matteo has canceled the horrendous "Kevin Prince-Boateng: deep-lying playmaker" experiment).
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 6:30 pm local, 12:30 pm ET
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany
TV: GOLTV (USA), BT Sport 1 (UK), Sky Bundesliga 1 (Germany)
Online: KlowdTV (USA), Sky Go (Germany)
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