Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg look a long way off from challenging Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title, but they’re hoping for excellent seasons to set up a future run at the crown. For starters, they’re going to have to set their sights on beating each other.
Wolfsburg vs. Schalke 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch the Bundesliga online
It’s early in the season, but this is a huge battle in the race for top four.
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Wolfsburg will have to do that without Kevin De Bruyne, who is about to move to Manchester City for an English-record transfer fee. They have the depth to compete for top four without him, but certainly not a like-for-like replacement.
Both sides have gotten off to lukewarm starts, winning their opening games and drawing last week. Schalke will have been disappointed to draw at home against newly promoted Darmstadt, while Wolfsburg are likely to accept that a low-scoring draw away to Köln will happen to most of the teams in the Bundesliga this season.
This year, Schalke have the benefit of being able to narrow their focus on the league. They won’t be happy that they missed out on the Champions League last season, but doing so makes them favorites to get back into the competition for next year.
What are the stakes?
Schalke finished outside the Champions League places last season, while Wolfsburg finished second rather comfortably. However, they both have the same goal for this season -- finish in the top four. It’s looking like there might only be one spot for the two of them, with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund playing spectacular soccer to start the season. Wolfsburg will have to figure out how to offset the loss of their best player fast, while Schalke are hoping to get some massive improvement out of their extremely young core.
How will Wolfsburg replace Kevin De Bruyne?
It’s not clear yet, but Max Arnold was occupying that role when De Bruyne arrived. At first, De Bruyne played on the wing, but he eventually shifted inside with Arnold taking up a deeper midfield role. While Arnold isn’t quite as creative as De Bruyne, he’s a very intelligent player who’s excellent technically, and he should make an adequate fill-in for last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Year.
Wolfsburg injuries and suspensions
Out: Diego Benaglio (back). In doubt: Ivan Perisic (knock/likely transfer), Kevin De Bruyne (likely transfer), Andre Schürrle (thigh).
Schalke 04 injuries and suspensions
Out: Matija Nastasic (achilles). In doubt: Benedikt Höwedes (ankle), Astuto Uchida (knee), Felipe Santana (calf).
Match date/time: Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. local
Venue: Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg, Germany
TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), FOX Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BT Sport Europe (U.K.), Sportsnet regional (Canada), Sky Bundesliga 1 (Germany)
Online: Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), BT Sport (U.K.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (Germany)
Listings for other countries at LiveSoccerTV.
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