SCHALKE boss David Wagner is coming under increasing pressure after his side's dismal return to action and can ill afford another ropey performance at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
If crashing to a 4-0 derby defeat in Dortmund was a blow for the fans in the first Bundesliga game back then following it up with a 3-0 battering at home by lowly Augsburg was a disaster.
I thought Schalke might just edge a narrow win against Augsburg in a clash between two teams in poor form but instead they collapsed, conceding early before being knocked to the canvas by two further blows late in the game.
Wagner's side have won just once in their last 11 games and even that came in extra time against Hertha Berlin in the cup so Dusseldorf will fancy their chances of grabbing a crucial three points in their battle against the drop.
Fortuna are still in the relegation play-off spot but two draws since returning to action have left them just three points behind Mainz so they have a bit of momentum.
Their last five games have all ended level but with Schalke in such dreadful form a point here might be considered a bad result for a team seeking a huge win.
How the bookies view it
Fortuna are as big as 7/4 with Betway for a win and that looks excellent value. A sixth draw on the spin is priced 12/5 by Unibet while Schalke are a best 7/4 with VBet to get back to winning ways. I fancy a home win here so I'll be backing Fortuna.
Recent head to head
It ended in a 3-3 thriller (below) when these sides faced off in Gelsenkirchen earlier in the campaign and there hasn't been much between the teams in recent seasons.
Fortuna romped to a 4-0 victory away in the Bundesliga last term after Schalke had beaten them 2-0 in Dusseldorf and dished out a 4-1 hiding in the German Cup.
Dusseldorf haven't beaten Schalke at home since 1996 but they have spent a long time in the second tier so Schalke are actually only unbeaten on their last three visits to Fortuna's stadium.
Players to watch
Kenan Karaman is in good form in front of goal for Fortuna, netting four times in his last five matches. The Turk is 14/5 with 888Sport for a goal and that looks overpriced.
Schalke have only scored once in their last matches so it's harder to pick out a danger man for them. Belgian Benito Raman came off the bench at the weekend and may get the chance to start here. The striker is 5/2 with 888Sport for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Give Schalke's troubles in front of goal, a Fortuna clean sheet is worth considering at 12/5 with Bet365. But this is a fixture that has delivered plenty of goals of late, with the last three games treating fans to four goals or more.
Over 3.5 goals pays a tempting 13/5 with BetVictor here but I'll play a bit safer and back over 2.5 goals at evens with Betfair. It's only marginally lower at Genting who offer 19/20.
Dusseldorf's Andre Hoffmann has six yellow cards for the season so I'm drawn to the 23/10 Paddy Power offer on the defender being carded here.
This German Bundesliga match between Fortuna Dusseldorf and Schalke will be played on May 27, 2020 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Schalke prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
