Miron Muslic “looking forward” to Bayern clash as Schalke debuts at home.

Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Munich kicks off at 17:30 [GMT+1] on Saturday, September 5, at the Veltins-Arena. Newly promoted Schalke are coming off the back of an opening defeat where they suffered a 3-0 loss to Augsburg, having gone down to 10 men in the 62nd minute. Meanwhile, they have won three of their last six matches across all competitions and have been particularly impressive on home soil. They are unbeaten in their last 14 consecutive home matches, while they have also won four home games in a row. Overall, Schalke have avoided defeat in 21 of their last 25 matches across all competitions, demonstrating that they are not an easy side to overcome despite the quality of their opponents. Their attacking record at home is another major positive. Schalke have scored at least one goal in each of their last 14 home matches across all competitions. However, defensive consistency remains a concern, with the team conceding an average of 2.50 goals per match across all competitions. Against Bayern, that weakness could prove costly. The head-to-head statistics are particularly one-sided. Schalke have lost each of their last six Bundesliga meetings with Bayern Munich. More broadly, Bayern have avoided defeat against Schalke in their last 25 encounters across all competitions and have won the last 12 meetings between the clubs. Nevertheless, head coach Miron Muslic is looking forward to Saturday’s clash. “FC Bayern are the biggest challenge in the league for any opponent. They’re the best team, and that’s what we’re up against, but we’re really looking forward to this game,” he said in a pre-match press conference. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Moussa Sylla in attack is expected against Bayern. Ron Schallenberg has been handed a two-match ban following his sending off against Augsburg.

Bayern have won five of their previous six matches across all competitions and are unbeaten in 34 of their last 35 Bundesliga games. Their consistency at the highest level has made them extremely difficult to defeat, and they will be confident of maintaining that momentum against Schalke. Their attacking record is equally remarkable. They have scored at least once in each of their last 57 matches across all competitions, underlining their remarkable consistency in front of goal. Against Schalke specifically, Bayern have scored at least two goals in each of their last 10 Bundesliga meetings. Another significant statistic is Bayern's dominance before half-time. They have remained unbeaten at half-time against Schalke in their last 29 meetings across all competitions. Schalke, however, have themselves remained unbeaten at half-time in their last 14 home matches, setting up an interesting battle during the opening 45 minutes. A 4—2—4—1 formation with Harry Kane in attack will be seen once again.