Bayern Munich vs. Schalke 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Bundesliga online

It’s been a dominant few years in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich, and this year has been little different. They’ve already opened up a five-point lead on second-place Borussia Dortmund, and after Dortmund lost on Friday, a win against Schalke 04 would give Bayern a huge eight-point edge just 13 games into the season. With Bayern facing significant challenges in the Champions League this season as they look to reclaim the title in the continent’s top competition, amassing as large a lead as they can in the league is important to help give Bayern breathing room around future Champions League matches.

Bayern’s opportunity isn’t the only one in this match, though. If Schalke can somehow upset the odds and get a win against Bayern in this match, they could vault as high as third in the Bundesliga table with a couple of friendly results in the Wolfsburg and Hertha BSC matches. Considering how poorly Schalke’s season went a season ago and their decision to concentrate on their quality young talent, that would be quite the accomplishment and validation of their decision to jettison players like Kevin-Prince Boateng in favor of giving more chances to the likes of Max Meyer and Leroy Sane.

Of course, that’s easier said than done -- even if Bayern take it a little easy in this match on the road, Schalke still have to find a way to beat the team that’s scored the most goals in the league and have surrendered just four all season long. Still, expect Schalke’s young core to fight tooth and nail for their chance to win all the points in this match, because a win over Bayern would be a massive boost to the young team’s confidence right now.

Key player -- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern)

Lewandowski is in the form of his life, having scored 14 goals in 11 league matches, that coming on top of his strong Champions League form and top-notch play for the Polish national team. When Lewandowski is “on” he’s a one-man wrecking crew, and even if he’s not playing he’s always a threat that needs to be accounted for. He has a solid career mark against Schalke as well, having scored five time against them in 11 matches -- and you know that he’ll be eager to add another goal or three to that tally with the form he’s been in.

Key matchup -- Dennis Aogo (Schalke) vs. Kingsley Coman (Bayern)

Coman has been a revelation for Bayern this season, signed from Juventus this summer after a season in which Juve struggled to find a way to properly utilize the teenaged winger. Pep Guardiola stuck Coman out on the wing to best utilize his pace and skill on the ball, and he hasn’t looked back -- and Coman has rewarded him with a series of strong performances, including a pair of goals and a significant impact in the final third for Bayern. That’s been much needed for them this season with Franck Ribéry sidelined all season so far and Arjen Robben only recently returned -- but he’ll face an interesting challenge going up against a crafty veteran in Aogo. Aogo may not be the fastest or most athletic fullback around, but he’s got fantastic instincts in where to be and the technical know-how to back it up. Will young energy or veteran guile rule the day in Gelsenkirchen?

Out: Johannes Geis, Fabian Giefer, Marco Höger, Matija Nastasic, Felix Platte, Sidney Sam, Atsuto Uchida

Out: Thiago Alcantara, Juan Bernat, Mario Götze, Franck Ribéry

While Bayern have a few big misses in Alcantara, Bernat, Götze, and Ribéry, they have the depth to make up for it. In a big way, the players that Schalke are missing are their depth, especially on the back line.

Match Date/Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. local

Venue: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

TV: Fox Soccer Plus (U.S.), Sportsnet World (Canada), Sky Bundesliga 1/HD (Germany), BT Sport 1 (U.K.)

Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go Deutschland (Germany), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)

Listings via LiveSoccerTV.