The 153rd Revier derby between Dortmund and Schalke 04, will be the center of focus when the German Bundesliga returns this weekend.
Both sides are entangled in different battles at either end of the table with Dortmund pushing for a 9th Bundesliga title while Schalke 04 are plotting to avoid the drop.
Lucien Favre’s yellow and blacks army are currently only a point behind Bayern in the title race and go into the derby knowing they cannot afford any slip-ups as their rivals have a relatively easy fixture to negotiate, the following day.
The 4-0 win away to Freiburg last week means that Dortmund have won their last two games in the League and will be fancying their chances of making it 3 in 3 against a struggling Schalke 04 side.
Schalke on the other side will be desperate for a result that may in turn save their season let alone kick-start it.
At the start of the day, Huub Stevens’ side are only six points away from the relegation playoff spot and must know that a string of more bad results can see them drop into the relegation dogfight.
In their last 11 Bundesliga games, the Royal Blues have won only once but that will not be a concern if they get the better of their sworn enemy on Saturday.
With 58 wins as compared to 51 losses, Schalke will surely be motivated for their biggest game of their calendar.
On Sunday, Bayern will be on the hunt for yet another victory as they continue their march towards a 7th successive Bundesliga crown.
Coming up against second from bottom, Nuremberg, the Bavarians are expected to make light-weight of the fixture at Max-Morlock Stadion.
It will indeed be a miracle if Nuremberg up-stage Bayern as the home side have not triumphed over their visitors since February 2007.
In the race for Champions League, Hoffenheim will be at home to Wolfsburg at the Rhein-Necker Stadion on Sunday.
Hoffenheim are currently in 6th spot, only three points away from 4th position while the visitors are just 4 points adrift in 9th.
On the back of 4 consecutive victories, Julian Nagelsman’s side will be favorites to take all three points from the fixture that has not produced an away victory since November 2011.
The other Champions League-chasing sides will also be in action the day before with Bayer Leverkusen away to Augsburg, RB Leipzig will be at home to Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt entertains Hertha Berlin while Borussia Monchengladbach visits Stuttgart.
The Bundesliga fixtures this weekend:
Friday, 26-04-2019.
-Augsburg vs Leverkusen @9:30pm
Saturday, 27-04-2019.
-Dortmund vs Schalke 04 @4:30pm
-Leipzig vs Freiburg @4:30pm
-Frankfurt vs Hertha Berlin @4:30pm
-Hennover vs Mainz @4:30pm
-Dusseldorf vs Bremen @4:30pm
-Stuttgart vs Gladbach @7:30pm
Sunday, 28-04-2019.
-Hoffenheim vs Wolfsburg @4:30pm
-Nuremberg vs Bayern @7pm
