Schalke 04 vs SC Paderborn

Football ; Germany : Bundesliga Veltins Arena – Gelsenkirchen Saturday, 16th May 2015 - kickoff 15:30 CET

Schalke 04

Schalke 04 showed another catastrophic performance last weekend and deservedly lost the important match against Cologne with 2-0. Some club problems became clear and public after the last game against Cologne. Schalke 04`s club director Horst Heidt pointed directly to the midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam, blaming both of them for Schalke 04`s poor run of form. Both of them are not just suspended by the club, but were also told to find another club as soon as possible. Marco Hoger is another player that is suspended by Schalke 04, but his punishment is milder as he cannot train or be near the team for one full week. Interestingly, the club director Horst Heidt gave an interesting statement regarding Hoger saying that he suspended him because he doubts his “loyalty to Schalke 04”. Anyhow, Schalke 04 are hanging on the last sixth place which leads into Europa League. Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen are breathing at their necks, just a couple of points behind them with two games to go. If Schalke 04 fails to win their remaining two games against SC Paderborn and Hamburger they risk completely missing out on Europe next season. Schalke 04 managed only one victory against Vfb Stuttgart in their last six Bundesliga games, drawing three times and losing twice. They also failed to score a single goal in four of their last six league matches. However, Schalke 04 were decent at home this season, losing just two home games. They lost just once in their last six home matches, winning three times and drawing twice. Schalke 04 beat SC Paderborn in their first match this season with 1-2.

SC Paderborn

SC Paderborn together with Hannover 96 and SC Freiburg are leveled on points at the second relegation spot on the Bundesliga table. SC Paderborn have the worst goal difference from those three sides, so only two wins in their remaining two games may help them in the relegation battle. After Schalke 04, SC Paderborn will play against their direct relegation rivals Vfb Stuttgart in the last match of the season next week. If SC Freiburg loses their match against Bayern Munich this weekend, then SC Paderborn would still have solid chances of avoiding relegation if they win against Vfb Stuttgart next weekend. SC Paderborn improved a bit recently, winning two games and drawing once in their last six Bundesliga matches. Last weekend they lost with 1-3 against Wolfsburg, but showed a decent performance. Their recent matches were filled with goals, with all of their last five games ending with at least three goals scored.

The Betting Verdict

This is a very important match for both teams. Schalke 04 must win if they want to play in Europe next season, while SC Paderborn needs three points to escape the relegation places. The draw result is the unlikeliest result here, and I believe that both sides will push hard for the three points. Despite Schalke 04`s recent poor performances, they are still a class above SC Paderborn and have more quality players in the team. On the other side, SC Paderborn deserves praise for their recent good performances, but they do not look like a side that is capable of competing in the German top flight football. In this match, I give a small advantage to Schalke 04 to win the game.