Schalke vs Stuttgart prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-02-24 17:30.
In a round where the logjam of sides at the top of the Bundesliga table will likely hog the headlines, it’s a relegation six-pointer that occupies Saturday’s primetime slot as rock-bottom Schalke welcome Stuttgart. The hosts remain winless in 2023, yet the league’s second worst defensive side ahead of the round have improved leaps and bounds in that respect, as seen by a new Bundesliga record of four straight goalless draws ahead of this crunch clash.
Ensuring survival at this stage will still be a huge ask for Schalke as they’re enduring their second worst Bundesliga season after their infamous 2020/21 campaign. Even so, improvement on the Bundesliga’s bluntest strike force (G14) could help end Schalke’s joint-longest run of top-flight stalemates since a five-game run back in 1999.
As one Bundesliga record was set last weekend, another came to a close as Stuttgart ended a run of 31 top-flight home games without a clean sheet in a 3-0 victory over Cologne. That dragged Stuttgart out of the drop zone but left three sides tied on 19 points ahead of this round, meaning defeat is simply not an option for the visitors, as they’ll fall to within striking distance of Schalke if they cannot end their six-game winless run of away H2Hs here (D3, L3).
Emulating their recent home improvement on the road is the next challenge as Stuttgart look to finally get off the mark at the 11th attempt in away league action this season (D4, L6). They will likely need at least a couple of goals to ensure victory as they’ve kept just one clean sheet away from home, although their sloppy backline has made for some exciting away league encounters for the neutral (3.4 average total goals).
Key battle: Schalke keeper Ralf Fährmann has made ten saves across their current run of four clean sheets, yet he’ll have to be at his very best to deny Stuttgart’s Gil Dias, who has scored in two of his four competitive appearances since making the January switch from Benfica.
Hot stat: None of Bruno Labbadia’s last 12 managerial H2Hs against Schalke ended level (W7, L5).