True classic awaits in 100th Revierderby
Borussia Dortmund must put its UEFA Champions League heartbreak away when it looks to secure a club record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win in the 100th Revierderby against Schalke on Sunday (AEDT).
Edin Terzic's side crashed out of Europe's premier club competition in the Round of 16 when it was beaten 2-0 at Chelsea, having won the first leg 1-0.
That ended Dortmund's run of 10 consecutive victories and it felt hard done by, as referee Danny Makkelie allowed Kai Havertz to retake a decisive penalty because of encroachment and he made no mistake after missing his first attempt.
Dortmund must turn its attention back to the battle for the Bundesliga title and resuming its rivalry with relegation-threatened Schalke at VELTINS-Arena, with Marco Reus on the verge of history.
Level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the table, Dortmund has the opportunity to take its frustration out on the Royal Blues.
Here is all the vital data ahead of the big derby.
From UEFA Champions League misery to cloud nine?
Dortmund has been licking its wounds since the pain of being consigned to a UEFA Champions League exit at Stamford Bridge.
But it could win a club record ninth top-flight game in a row this weekend, having matched its best run with a 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
Dortmund previously won eight in a row between 2011 and 2012, then again two years ago.
Reus can go out on his way
Dortmund stalwart Reus is one goal away from becoming the outright record scorer for the club after he was on target against Leipzig.
That strike was his 159th for the club in all competitions, drawing him level with Michael Zorc.
Reus has been struggling with a cold, so it remains to be seen if he gets the chance to go out on his own in the home of Dortmund's rival.
The skipper has had a hand in at least one goal in each of his past three Bundesliga games, scoring twice and setting two up.
Derby delight a distant memory for Schalke
Schalke has not only lost its past four encounters with Dortmund, but also failed to score in five matches against its rival.
The last time it found the back of the Dortmund net was in April 2019, when it celebrated a 4-2 away victory after Reus and Marius Wolf were sent off.
Youssoufa Moukoko scored the only goal of the game when they met in September and Dortmund ran riot when it last travelled to Schalke, Erling Haaland scoring twice in a 4-0 rout just more than two years ago – its joint-highest win over the Royal Blues.
Dortmund has only previously won four consecutive games against Schalke when it went on to beat it eight times in a row between 1964 and 1967.
Schalke fighting for its life
The Royal Blues are battling to avoid relegation after securing promotion back to the top flight last season.
Schalke is making a fight of it under Thomas Reis, securing back-to-back wins over fellow struggler Stuttgart and Bochum to haul itself off the bottom of the table.
Schalke had reeled off four goalless draws on the spin before defeating Stuttgart and it is unbeaten in the first six games of the second half of Bundesliga season for the first time since 2006.
This will be a battle between the only unbeaten sides in the second half of the season.