2. Bundesliga Topspiel preview: FC Schalke 04 vs. Fortuna Düsseldorf | OneFootball

Saturday’s penultimate Topspiel of the season carries significant weight at both ends of the 2. Bundesliga table. Promotion-chasing Schalke host relegation-threatened Düsseldorf, with a crucial three points on the line for both sides.

Schalke come into this clash with expectation building across the club. After a superb campaign under Miron Muslic, which has seen them set the pace at the summit for much of the season, the Royal Blues are now just one victory away from sealing their return to the Bundesliga. Achieving promotion in front of their home crowd on Saturday is firmly in their sights.

They sent a strong message last time out with a dramatic victory away at second-placed Paderborn. After falling 2-0 behind inside the opening half hour, Schalke responded impressively before the break, with Dejan Ljubicic and Adil Aouchiche restoring parity. The second half proved more cagey, but Ljubicic stepped up once more, netting an 83rd-minute winner to extend Schalke’s lead at the top to six points.

Muslic remains confident his side can finish the job:

“We haven’t changed anything about our routine or our preparation. We’ve stuck with the same approach that has served us so well over the past few weeks and months,” he explained. “The team have trained with real focus and attention to detail. We’ve worked hard to earn this opportunity, and everyone knows we’ll only get over the line if we perform at the level we’ve shown recently.”

Düsseldorf, meanwhile, arrive looking anxiously over their shoulders at the wrong end of the table. Now on their third manager of the season, Alexander Ende faces the task of steering the club to safety. With just one win in their last six matches, Fortuna sit 15th - only a point above the drop zone.

That lone victory, however, came at a crucial time. A convincing home performance against Dynamo Dresden last time out saw Düsseldorf finally rediscover their cutting edge, with Cedric Itten, Emmanuel Iyoha and Luca Raimund all on target before a late consolation from the visitors. It was a marked improvement and a timely boost in confidence.

Ende is refusing to write off his side’s chances against the league leaders:

“We still have three games left, and everyone knows what’s at stake. Perhaps not many expect much from us on Saturday, and we are not the favourites. But in our situation, there are no ‘bonus games’ - every point and every goal counts.”

Schalke claimed a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture back in December, courtesy of goals from Kenan Karaman and Vitalie Becker - ending a run without victory against Düsseldorf that stretched back to 2021. Fortuna’s last win in Gelsenkirchen dates back to 2019, when both sides were in the Bundesliga, although they have lost just once in their last five visits.

Team news

FC Schalke 04: Emil Højlund, Tomáš Kalas, Nikola Katić, Bryan Lasme, Finn Porath and Henning Matriciani are all sidelined, while Edin Džeko is expected to return to the squad.

Fortuna Düsseldorf: Valgeir Lunddal and Christian Rasmussen have resumed team training, with Hamza Anhari and Tim Rossmann also progressing in their recovery. Anouar El Azzouzi remains a doubt due to a shoulder contusion.

Predicted lineups

FC Schalke 04 (4-2-3-1): Karius (GK) - T. Becker, Kuruçay, Ayhan, N’Diaye - El-Faouzi, Schallenberg - D. Ljubicic, Karaman, Aouchiche - Sylla 

Fortuna Düsseldorf (4-3-2-1): Kastenmeier (GK) - Zimmermann, Oberdorf, Egouli, Lenz - Alexandropolous, El Azzouzi, Appelkamp - Iyoha, M. Ljubičić - Itten