Bayer Leverkusen host Schalke in the Bundesliga’s late Saturday match, with both sides looking to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. The hosts are currently six points ahead of Schalke in second place, though their extra time defeat at home to Kaiserslautern in Wednesday’s cup clash shows they’re far from infallible.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Schalke: Preview and TV schedule
Champions League hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke meet in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dennis Grombkowski
Schalke, however, head in having won all three of their Bundesliga games since the winter break, including a narrow victory over fellow European challengers Wolfsburg earlier this month. Having kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven league games, they’ll be looking to take advantage of their defensive solidity and frustrate their hosts.
Bayer will be without Robbie Kruse and Eren Derdiyok through injury, though they hope to have Stefan Reinartz back from a heel injury in time to play. Schalke are struggling with injuries at the moment, with Benedikt Höwedes sidelined alongside Marco Höger, Dennis Aogo, Christian Clemens and Jan Kirchhoff.
Bayer Leverkusen injuries and suspensions
Out: Robbie Kruse (knee), Eren Derdiyok (unspecified). In doubt: Stefan Reinartz (foot).
Schalke injuries and suspensions
Out: Marco Höger (knee), Dennis Aogo (knee), Christian Clemens (unspecified), Jan Kirchhoff (unspecified), Benedikt Höwedes (unspecified). In doubt: None.
Projected lineups
Bayer Leverkusen: Bernd Leno; Emre Can, Emir Spahić, Ömer Toprak, Roberto Hilbert; Gonzalo Castro, Simon Rolfes, Lars Bender; Son Heung-Min, Stefan Kießling, Sidney Sam.
Schalke: Ralf Fährmann; Sead Kolašinac, Joël Matip, Felipe Santana, Tim Hoogland; Kevin-Prince Boateng, Roman Neustädter; Chinedu Obasi, Max Meyer, Jefferson Farfán; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. local, 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany
TV: GolTV (U.S. and Canada), BT Sport 1 (U.K.), Sky Bundesliga 1 (Germany)
Online: BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
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