Schalke 04: One thing makes Dortmund different than Bayern, Leipzig

Schalke 04 returns to action at Signal Iduna Park for another rendition of the Revierderby. It’s okay to be nervous, but keep this one thing in mind.

With Schalke in a tailspin and Dortmund surging to the top, the Bundesliga went on pause weeks and weeks ago, only to return now. behind closed doors. With the two rivals set to square off again. Each team is desperate to prove themselves right out of the gate, Dortmund hoping to carry on where they left off and Die Knappen hoping to get back on track.

It’s alright to be nervous. Sure, Dortmund has been crushing it lately. They’ve been scoring a ton of goals and it’s made them look every bit the contemporary to big bad Bayern Munich, a team that spanked us 5-0 in embarrassing fashion.

When these two clubs faced earlier in the year at the Veltins, Schalke looked the better side. They were denied by the crossbar, they put up more shots, made more of their possession, but in the end, it was a shared result, 0-0.

Schalke 04 won’t see a Bayern result against Dortmund

Of course, the stakes are higher now. And with three especially atrocious results in the rearview—Bayern and RB Leipzig—we have to wonder what the Royal Blues will look like when they step out onto that quiet pitch.

Before any of that happens though, I’d like to remind anyone who needs remembering that this is not like facing Bayern or Leipzig. When we faced Bayern and Leipzig, there was zero fight, zero hope. The team collapsed. They lost all confidence.

It was just a typical beatdown.

Schalke does not suffer “typical beatdowns” at the hands of Dortmund. It just doesn’t happen. Remember that time Dortmund tried? They went up 4-0 in the first half only to surrender the entire lead in the second and end with a draw, 4-4. At that time, Die Knappen wasn’t a lot different than they are right now. Known for defense, not attack, there was no hope.

Only, when Dortmund are concerned, there is always hope. Always fight. Always something left in the tank to fight back. Maybe that doesn’t translate against other opponents, but against the black and yellow it always translates.

So stuff your nerves in a sack. David Wagner is going to get this Schalke club into a place where they can go toe-to-toe with their rivals, easily. It’s not even a question. It’s just what they do.