Schalke and Leipzig take to the pitch first in the 17th round of the Bundesliga. The home side disappoint their fans as much as they did during the disappointing season before last, which was followed by their relegation to the Second Bundesliga. Leipzig, on the other hand, have come to their senses following the change of head coach in September last year, and have returned to the list of top teams in the German elite division. In roughly the described emotional tones, the teams resumed the season last week after the World Cup break in Qatar. Bookmakers have picked the visitors as the favourites to win the match, with odds of around 1.60 to be bet on.

Schalke returned from first place in Germany's second division to the elite and planned to secure a place there without significant changes to the squad, but after 16 rounds of the championship has all the risks of relegation. The Pitmen's nine points so far is the worst result of any Bundesliga side. To climb out of the relegation zone, Schalke need to make up six points behind the 15th team in the league. Last weekend, the Pitmen played away against Eintracht and lost 0-3, allowing their opponents to hit the inside of the net exactly three times, which resulted in goals. In addition to the devastating defeat in that match, Schalke also set a nightmarish Bundesliga anti-record for the number of away games without a win. Away from home, the club failed to win for the 36th time in a row.

Leipzig had a long slump early in the season but, following the sacking of Domenico Tedesco, they began to win at a good rate and climb up the standings. The Bulls went into the November break with a six-game winning streak that included scalps against Madrid, Bayer and Freiburg. Last weekend, the team took to the field against Bayern without their starting goalkeeper Gulaca and top scorer Nkunku. Despite the problems with injured, the team managed to level with the champion and ended the match in a draw, 1-1.

In the last four head-to-head encounters between Schalke and Leipzig, at least three goals were scored. The upcoming match is likely to be productive as well.