Schalke 04 vs. Wolfsburg preview: Die Wölfe looking to return to winning ways
After losing their last three matches in all competitions, Wolfsburg will be aiming to secure all three points when they face Schalke 04 on Friday.
| Niko Kovac. | Photo: Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
Schalke 04
Schalke have demonstrated improved resilience in their last couple of games after playing out consecutive goalless draws against FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Although successive clean sheets will provide Schalke with a confidence boost, victories are still hard to come by.
Die Königsblauen have only recorded two league wins all season, and only one of those victories has taken place in their last 13 Bundesliga games. As a result, Schalke are propping up the league table, with five points separating them from Stuttgart in the relegation playoff spot.
Thomas Reis's side may have shored up their backline in the last two weeks, but they still need to improve in the final third. No team has scored fewer goals in the Bundesliga this season than Schalke, who have registered just 14 goals in 19 league games.
Team News
The hosts will be unable to call upon the services of Danny Latza, Sebastian Polter, Justin Heekeren and Sepp van den Berg due to injury issues.
Wolfsburg
After winning six consecutive games in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg have now lost their last three matches in all competitions.
After losing 2-1 to both Werder Bremen and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal respectively, Wolfsburg were beaten 4-2 by league leaders Bayern Munich last weekend.
Bayern surged into a three-goal lead inside 20 minutes before Jakub Kamiński pulled a goal back before half time. Joshua Kimmich was given his marching orders within nine minutes of the restart, but Wolfsburg were unable to make the most of the numerical advantage. Jamal Musiala added a fourth for the Bavarians with a superb solo effort, while Mattias Svanberg restored some respectability to the scoreline with a goal in the 80th minute.
Wolfsburg are currently sat in seventh position and with five points separating them from the top six, they will be keen to get their quest for European back on track with a win on Friday.
Die Wölfe have enjoyed success in recent meetings with Schalke, winning three and drawing two of their last five Bundesliga games against Friday's opponents.
Team News
With no reported injury concerns ahead of the fixture, Niko Kovač is expected to have a fully fit squad to choose from.