Bayern Munich will be aiming to extend their gap at the top of the Bundesliga table when they face Schalke 04 on Saturday.
The hosts, meanwhile, could move off the foot of the table with a positive result in their last match prior to breaking for the World Cup.
Match preview
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Indeed, Schalke finally ended their seven-match losing streak in the Bundesliga by beating Mainz 05 on Wednesday.
Simon Terodde, who has scored more goals than any player in the history of the second tier of German football, bagged only his 13th goal in the top flight to break the deadlock after 10 minutes, with Thomas Reis's side impressively restricting their opponents to just one shot on target throughout the course of the match.
Despite claiming a much-needed victory, Schalke remain at the foot of the table after VfL Bochum also claimed three points against Borussia Monchengladbach, although Hertha Berlin are only two points ahead of them in the relegation playoff position heading into the weekend.
As such, should they be able to record a shock win against the Bavarians on Saturday, Die Konigsblauen could end this period outside of the automatic relegation zone.
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Bayern, meanwhile, racked up a ninth successive victory in all competitions by thrashing Werder Bremen 6-1 on Tuesday.
Anthony Jung cancelled out Jamal Musiala's opener within the opening 10 minutes, but Julian Nagelsmann's side ran riot thereafter, with Serge Gnabry scoring a hat-trick to add to Leon Goretzka's and Mathys Tel's strikes.
There were a couple of blemishes from the evening, though, with Eric Choupo-Moting's seven-match scoring run coming to an end after the forward missed a penalty during the first half. More importantly, Sadio Mane was withdrawn due to a fibula injury, which could cost the Senegal forward his place at the World Cup later this month.
With Union Berlin dropping points at home to Augsburg in midweek, Bayern have opened up a healthy four-point cushion at the summit of the table, which they will be hoping to extend this weekend before the majority of their players jet off to Qatar.
Team News
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Terodde was withdrawn in the closing stages of his side's win against Mainz in midweek after suffering a knock, and the forward may not be risked against Bayern on Saturday.
Ralf Fahrmann, Thomas Ouwejan, Leo Greiml, Rodrigo Zalazar, Sepp van den Berg, Ibrahima Cisse and Marcin Kaminski will all remain sidelined for the hosts, with Sebastian Polter and Dominick Drexler pushing for starts in attack.
Bayern, meanwhile, will travel without Mane - who has not yet ruled himself out of appearing for Senegal at the World Cup - as well as Thomas Muller and Alphonso Davies, who are both pushing to be fit for Qatar having recently suffered hip and hamstring issues respectively.
Full-backs Bouna Sarr and Josip Stanisic are both ruled out of the trip to Gelsenkirchen, too, but Matthijs de Ligt is set to be available once again having recovered from a muscle strain.
However, Benjamin Pavard could continue to deputise at centre-back, with the Dutch defender potentially used later on in the game in order to receive some crucial match fitness, while Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman are competing for a start on the left flank in the absence of Mane.
Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Brunner, Yoshida, Matriciani, Mohr; Kral, Krauss; Drexler, Mollet, Bulter; Polter
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Mazraoui, Pavard, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Musiala, Coman; Choupo-Moting
We say: Schalke 04 0-3 Bayern Munich
We expect a comfortable victory for Bayern, who may take their foot off the gas later in the game given the amount of players that they are set to have involved at the World Cup.
Schalke secured all three points in what felt like a must-win game for them against Mainz in midweek, but they are likely to fall significantly short on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
