Status: 04/20/2022 3:20 PM
It’s the first game in the second division par excellence: table leaders Schalke 04 host second-placed Werder Bremen on Saturday. And not only the two best teams meet in the table, but also according to the data. Team comparison.
The last time the two teams in the Bundesliga were relegated to first and second places was at the end of the second division season in 2016/2017. In that time, both VfB Stuttgart and Hannover went straight back to first division. It could be that way again in five years.
additional information
Schalke and Werder needed a little more to go forward. However, the change of coach proved to be the right impetus for both clubs – from Demetrius Grammozis to Mike Buskins and from Marcus Beginning to Ole Werner. According to our data, the teams are now the best in the league. However, given their weak stages, both should continue to score points in the last spurt of the season – preferably in the first game.
goalkeeper comparison
Schalke 04 have conceded the second fewest goals after HSV. Goalkeeper Martin Freisel played a big role in this, although his GSN of 55.23 only defines him as a second-tier average goalkeeper. Werder’s Jiri Pavlenka GSN, on the other hand, is 69.69 – thus on the threshold between the German Bundesliga and the international class.
However, the Czech player has already made five mistakes this season which resulted in conceding two goals (Fraisl). And there are other numbers against the 30-year-old, who has been under contract with the Green-Whites for five years. With his performance score (54.75), he is only ranked sixth in the league comparison, and Frisel (55.75) is the second best. Pavlenka’s save rate (69.95%) is lower than his counterpart (71.24%) – although the quality of his shots was actually worse.
On the other hand, the Bremen player has repeatedly demonstrated his game-building skills and is better in success rate (89.66 to 86.11 per cent). So Powerful: All returns and short passes so far have landed on your teammate. Pavlenka is even more exciting, averaging 1.11 great saves in the match, and Friesel coming in with (0.87). Duel is one on a high level (second class).
As a more complete goalkeeper, Pavlenka earned the point of comparison.
Can Schalke’s defense stop Werder’s attack?
Schalke is based on a safe ball defense method. Marcin Kaminski (Performance score 59.00), Malik Thiaw (60.25) and Ko Itakura (57.75) are all among the league’s top 20 players in terms of successful moves, with Kaminski and Itakura also in terms of pass rate. Plus, all three know how to play offensively again and again. This also applies to the wings, where Thomas Oyan (59.50) and Karim Calhanoglu (54.50) were among the top 10 players.
However, Schalke’s defense is weak in the tackles, neither the inside nor the outside are among the top 20 players. On the other side are Marvin Doksch and Niklas Volkrug, who have a strong tackler for the attackers. With performance scores of 60.75 and 59.25, the two are currently the top strikers in the league. Schalke’s Simon Tyrodi came in 58.85, third – but more on that later.
Behind Ducksch and Füllkrug, Werder has three of the league’s top ten attacking midfielders: Romano Schmid (59.25), Leonardo Bettencourt (56.75) and Niklas Schmidt (57.11). They can create successful offensive actions and seriously organize the duo storm.
This should cause problems for Schalke’s defence. However, Füllkrug and Ducksch are in more demand than usual when working against the ball in order to prevent the Royal Blues from building the game well.
Here the point of comparison also goes to Werder.
Which midfield puts its imprint on the game?
The best players in the league also face off in midfield. In the defensive midfield, no one is better than Werder’s Christian Gross (58.35). Nikolai Raab (55.86) and Jean-Manuel Mbom (55.11) are in the top ten in their positions, as are Viktor Balson (58.10), Reinhold Ranftel (54.11), Mehmet Aydin (55.86) and Andreas Windheim (57.36).
Additional information
Aydin tops the stats for successful defensive actions with an average of 13.09 per game, ahead of Vindheim (10.91). It is no coincidence that many of Schalke’s attacks originated on the right: Vindheim with 6.82 interceptions per game, Aydin (6.68) and Ranftl (5.30) occupy the top three in the league.
There is not enough attacking from both ranks of the midfield, and no player is among the top 20 in terms of successful actions. However, in Bremen, no professional has successful enough defensive actions to end up in the top 20. This is not the only reason why the host side has advantages here.
Schalke has been shortened to 1:2 by comparison.
Will Terodde make the difference again?
In addition to Terodde, three other players in Gelsenkirchen’s squad are Marius Poulter (54.86), Rodrigo Zalazar (58.84) and Dominic Drexler (56.61), who are among the league’s top ten in their positions. While Werder has mostly played 3-1-4-2 since Werner took over, 4-2-3-1 has evolved under Buskins.
additional information
Royal Blue Attack impresses with its versatility. Schalke’s striker (Tirodi) is the most prolific player in the league with 0.89 goals in 90 minutes. Poulter is the team player – with a score of 0.4, which is the second most assists. Zalazar leads the most offensive tackles with 15.40 and the second most dribbles with 7.56. Drexler is among the top 20 for dribbling, tackles and crosses, however, as on the Bremen side, the quartet runs relatively little backwards.
Werder’s defense is heavily involved in building the game – in addition, all defenders are at least at the level of the Bundesliga according to the GSN index. With a performance score of 61.35, Marco Friedel is the best central defender in the league. Followed by Omar Toprak in third place. Wingers Felix Ago (58.35), Mitchell Weiser (58.10) and Anthony Young (57.61) are among the top ten. However, they all have common weaknesses in defensive duels. And this is exactly where the Bremen team must have trouble.
The last point goes to Schalke.
Conclusion team comparison
The first game promises a lot of excitement. Schalke and Werder meet at eye level, which also appears 2:2 in the team comparison. Werder is better occupied in goal and Schalke in midfield. In addition, both offensive classes have advantages over the defensive classes, which are likely to come under great pressure. Regardless of the end result, it is likely that both teams will end up moving up the ladder.
Ideal configurations:
Schalke: Friesel-Windheim, Kaminski, Thiau, Calhanoglu-Balson, Itakura-Drexler, Poulter, Zalazar-Tyrode
Werder: Pavlenka – Mai, Velkovic, Friedel – Gross – Ago, Rap, Schmid, Jung – Daksh, Jug
additional information
