Borussia Dortmund must put their Champions League heartbreak behind them as they attempt a club-record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win in the 100th Revierderby against Schalke.
Edin Terzic’s side crashed out of the round of 16 of Europe’s premier club competition as they were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Tuesday after winning the first leg 1-0.
That ended Dortmund’s run of 10 consecutive wins and they felt hard done by, as referee Danny Makkelie allowed Kai Havertz to retake a decisive penalty for infringement and he made no mistake after missing his first attempt.
Dortmund must turn their attention back to fighting for the Bundesliga title and resuming their rivalry with relegation-threatened Schalke at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday when Marco Reus can make history.
Tied with Bayern Munich at the top of the table, Dortmund have a chance to take their frustration out on the Royal Blues.
Stats Perform picks the standout Opta data for the big derby.
From Champions League misery to cloud nine?
Dortmund have been licking their wounds since the pain of being knocked out of the Champions League at Stamford Bridge.
They have no time to feel sorry for themselves, so much is at stake as they strive to dethrone Bayern.
Dortmund could win a club-record ninth consecutive top-flight game this weekend after matching its best run with a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig.
They have previously won eight times in a row between 2011 and 2012, then again two years ago.
Giant can go
Dortmund’s strong Reus is one goal clear of the club’s outright record goalscorer after scoring against Leipzig.
That goal was his 159th for the club in all competitions, leveling him with Michael Zorc.
Reus is afflicted with a cold so it remains to be seen if he will get the chance to venture out on his own in the home of Dortmund’s rivals.
The captain has scored at least one goal in each of his last three Bundesliga games, scoring twice and scoring two goals.
Derby delights a distant memory for Schalke
Schalke not only lost the last four meetings with Dortmund, but also failed to score in five games against their rivals.
The last time they found the rear of Dortmund was in April 2019 when they celebrated a 4-2 win after Reus and Marius Wolf were sent off.
Youssoufa Moukoko scored the only goal of the game when they met in September and Dortmund rioted when they last traveled to Schalke, Erling Haaland scored twice in a 4-0 defeat two years ago – their joint highest win at the Royal blues .
Dortmund only won four consecutive games against Schalke, as they beat them eight times in a row between 1964 and 1967.
Schalke is fighting for their lives
The Royal Blues are battling to avoid relegation after securing promotion to the top flight last season.
They make it a battle under Thomas Reis, taking back-to-back victories over fellow contenders Stuttgart and Bochum to drag themselves off the bottom of the table.
Schalke had won four goalless draws at the spin before beating Stuttgart and they are unbeaten in the first six games of the second half of the Bundesliga season for the first time since 2006.
This will be a battle between the only undefeated parties in the second half of the season.