On Friday, January 26, 2024, we will take a look at a real battle for survival at football match 1. FC Kaiserslautern vs Schalke 04.
Die roten Teufel, like their upcoming opponent, were considered to be one of those who would claim at least the middle of the standings, with a potential fight for promotion to the top flight. However, it is already evident that Kaiserslautern (FCK) will prioritize maintaining their Bundesliga 2 registration.
Die Knappen had at one point already gained good momentum and were one step away from the top half of the Bundesliga 2 standings, but good matches gave way to a series of negative results. Now Schalke is in 14th position, and only 3 points separate them from the relegation zone.
So, let’s take a look at how the teams showed themselves in previous games with the traditional Kaiserslautern vs Schalke prediction at the end of the article.
Kaiserslautern vs Schalke 04: What to Expect
1. FC Kaiserslautern
The unfortunate series began for the Kaiserslautern in early November. At first, the wards of Oliver Schäfer lost to Greuther Furth (0:2) and it started to go downhill: defeats against SV Wehen Wiesbaden (2:1), Holstein Kiel (0:3) and Magdeburg (4:1) led to the dismissal of the coach. However, with the arrival of Dimitrios Grammozis, the situation did not improve – defeats against Hertha (1:2), Eintracht Braunschweig (2:1), and St. Pauli (2:0) dropped them to 15th position.
In the previous away match against St. Pauli, no one bet on Die roten Teufel. The hosts quickly got down to business and in the 34th minute, Elias Saad put St. Pauli ahead.
At the beginning of the second half, the 1. FC Kaiserslautern players seemed to wake up a bit, but they were immediately nailed by a goal from Marcel Hartel in the 64th minute.
The guests had their chances to reduce the deficit, but the hosts had even more opportunities – 2:0 in favor of St. Pauli in the end.
The hosts will go into the match FCK – Schalke with 9 defeats in a row.
Schalke 04
Die Königsblauen are doing a little better. This is reflected not only in the 2-point advantage over the future opponent but also in the fact that Schalke at least has a winning record in recent years.
Unlike Kaiserslautern, Schalke 04 was able to get points in matches against direct competitors in the fight for survival. The victories against VfL Osnabrück (4:0) and Hansa Rostock (0:2) are just more evidence of this.
In addition, the guests took points from stronger Greuther Furth (2:2), Nurnberg (1:2) and Hannover (3:2).
It was difficult to count on anything in the match against Hamburger because the opponent was much more stable and fighting for promotion to the top division.
HSV scored 2 goals in the first half. Immanuel Pherai and László Bénes scored the goals. Schalke had the upper hand throughout the game but failed to score at least 1 goal – 0:2.
Kaiserslautern vs Schalke: Head-to-Head
The teams often exchange victories against each other, but they have rarely played recently because they were in completely different divisions. Schalke won the previous duel.
| Kaiserslautern vs Schalke H2H | |||
| 2023/24 Season | |||
| Schalke 04 | 3 | 0 | 1 FC Kaiserslautern |
| 2011/12 Season | |||
| 1 FC Kaiserslautern | 1 | 4 | Schalke 04 |
| Schalke 04 | 1 | 2 | 1 FC Kaiserslautern |
| 2010/11 Season | |||
| Schalke 04 | 0 | 1 | 1 FC Kaiserslautern |
| 1 FC Kaiserslautern | 5 | 0 | Schalke 04 |
1. FC Kaiserslautern vs Schalke 04: Possible Lineups
Philipp Hercher will not play for the hosts in the next match, as the midfielder was injured during the Christmas break. Afeez Aremu will also be unavailable for Die roten Teufel due to a red card he earned against Hertha.
The losses of the guests before the game 1. FC Kaiserslautern – Schalke 04 are much greater. They will not be helped by Leo Greiml, Assan Ouédraogo, and Sebastian Polter, who have been injured since last year. Marcin Kaminski and Ron Schallenberg will also not play, as they have received too many yellow cards.
| FC Kaiserslautern vs Schalke Lineups | ||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | Schalke 04 | |
| Goalkeepers | Julian Krahl | Ralf Fährmann |
| Defenders | Boris Tomiak, Jan Elvedi, Almamy Touré | Derry Murkin, Tomáš Kalas, Timo Baumgartl, Cédric Brunner |
| Midfielders | Tymoteusz Puchacz, Tobias Raschl, Filip Kaloč, Marlon Ritter, Richmond Tachie, Jean Zimmer | Blendi Idrizi, Paul Seguin, Tobias Mohr |
| Forwards | Daniel Hanslik | Keke Topp, Simon Terodde, Kenan Karaman |
Kaiserslautern vs Schalke 04: Match Prediction
Schalke may not be the absolute favorite of this game, but it is still the favorite. The team is more interested in attack and at least has not forgotten how to score and win.
Kaiserslautern was not helped by the change of coach and so far it is difficult to notice any positive for them. The team has been losing recent matches and everything will extend their streak to 10 matches without a win.
1. FC Kaiserslautern vs Schalke 04 Prediction: X2 (Schalke 04) win or draw, with odds at 1.57.
| The Match Prediction | ||
| X2 win or draw | ||
