After securing promotion to the Bundesliga last weekend, a buoyant Schalke will face Nuremberg this Sunday on the final matchday of the 2. Bundesliga.
Null Vier did it the hard way as they came from two goals down to beat St. Pauli 3-2 in their last game to clinch the top spot and promotion.
A clash against Schalke will basically be a dead rubber for the hosts. Nuremberg’s poor run of two draws and two losses in their last four games ended any lingering promotion hopes.
The club will lick their wounds and hope to finish their season on a high and strengthen their squad over the summer to launch another promotion bid next season.
Schalke will also look to bow out with a win and retain their place at the top of the table. Even though they have secured promotion, they haven’t sealed the 2. Bundesliga title yet.
Nuremberg vs Schalke Head-to-head
Although the two sets of fans have an amicable relationship, things have certainly been competitive on the pitch between the two sides.
Schalke have a head-to-head advantage with 32 wins compared to Nuremberg’s 20 wins. There have been 16 draws in the fixture as well.
Nuremberg form guide: W-D-L-D-L
Schalke form guide: W-W-L-W-W
Nuremberg vs Schalke Team News
Nuremberg
Felix Lohkemper is a doubt with a hip issue and might not feature for Nuremberg on Sunday.
Injured: Felix Lohkemper
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Schalke
Danny Latza was suspended for the game due to the accumulation of yellow cards, while Dong-gyeong Lee is still recovering from his injury. Apart from the two, Buskens has a fully-fit squad to choose from.
Injured: Dong-gyeong Lee
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Danny Latza
Nuremberg vs Schalke Predicted Lineups
Nuremberg Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Christian Mathenia; Tim Handwerker, Florian Hübner, Christopher Schindler, Kilian Fischer; Tom Krauss, Fabian Nürnberger; Lukas Schleimer, Mats Möller Daehli, Nikola Dovedan; Erik Shuranov
Schalke Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Martin Fraisl; Andreas Vindheim, Ko Itakura, Marcin Kaminski, Thomas Ouwejan; Victor Palsson, Florian Flick; Darko Churlinov, Marius Bulter, Rodrigo Zalazar; Simon Terodde
Nuremberg vs Schalke Prediction
Schalke securing promotion last weekend brought about some glorious emotions at the Veltins Arena.
Buskens will be tasked with refocusing his side so that they can finish top, and we believe the Royal Blues have what it takes to at least pick up a point and finish top.
Prediction: Nuremberg 1-2 Schalke