Schalke vs. Bochum: probable teams, match stats and LIVE blog!

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Schalke are still awaiting their first win since being promoted as Bundesliga 2 champions. The Royal Blues were hammered 6-1 by Union Berlin on Matchday 4, but steadied the ship with a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart last time out. Together with draws against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Wolfsburg, and defeat to Cologne on the opening weekend, it gives them three points from a possible 15 in the embryonic stages of the campaign. Summer signing Yoshida has been an ever-present at the heart Frank Kramer's defence, but the Japan international had a new centre-back partner against Stuttgart, in the form of Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg. The Schalke coach also handed forward Jordan Larsson - son of legendary Sweden striker, Henrik - his full debut. Rodrigo Zalazar dropped to the bench, but could be reinstated at the expense of Alex Kral.

Rock-bottom Bochum are not only winless - they're also pointless after succumbing to two late Niclas Füllkrug goals against promoted Werder Bremen on Matchday 5. Defeats to Freiburg (1-0), Bayern Munich (7-0) Hoffenheim (3-2) and Mainz (2-1) complete an alarming report card, though Thomas Reis was recently given a vote of confidence by the board. Left-back continues to be something of a problem position for the VfL head coach. Dominique Heintz, Kostas Stafylidis and Saidy Janko are all battling varying degrees of injury, but Danilo Soares could return from a hip problem and potentially start. Otherwise right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu is set to moonlight on the opposite flank once more. Elsewhere in the team, Dynamo Moscow loanee defender Ivan Ordets is pushing for a recall, while striker Philipp Hofmann may be preferred to midfielder Philipp Förster in a two-man attack alongside two-goal top scorer Simon Zoller.

Match stats

Marius Bülter has scored three of Schalke's five goals after five games. Two of his strikes were penalties.

Sebastian Polter was Bochum's 10-goal top scorer in 2021/22, while Simon Terodde produced his first 20-plus-goal season in a VfL shirt (2015/16 Bundesliga 2).

Schalke have won their last five home meetings with Ruhr district neighbours Bochum.

Zoller has scored two of Bochum's league-low three goals.

Only Bayern Munich (125) and Freiburg (77) have fired off more shots than Bochum (74), who have the worst conversion rate in the division.

Bochum are the 14th team in Bundesliga history to lose their first five matches of a season. Only two have started with six straight defeats.

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Probable teams

Schalke: Schwolow - Brunner, van den Berg, Yoshida, Ouwejan - Krauß, Zalazar - Larsson, Drexler, Bülter - Terodde (c)

Out: Kaminski (calf)

Doubtful: Sane (match fitness)

Coach: Frank Kramer

Bochum: Riemann - Gamboa, Masovic, Ordets, Osei-Tutu - Asano, Losilla (c), Stöger, Holtmann - Hofmann, Zoller

Out: Goralski (muscular), Grave (shoulder), Heintz (muscular), Janko (groin)

Doubtful: Stafylidis (muscular)

Coach: Thomas Reis

About the clubs VfL Bochum 1848

Vonovia Ruhrstadion

FC Schalke 04

VELTINS-Arena

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