1st Aug. German Bundesliga 2 - Schalke 04 VS Hertha Berlin Prediction

German Bundesliga 2 - Schalke 04 VS Hertha Berlin
Match Time:02-08-2025 02:30 Saturday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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FC Schalke 04
Schalke, coached by Karel Geraerts, begins the 2025-26 2. Bundesliga season after finishing 10th in 2024-25 with 43 points (12 wins, 7 draws, 15 losses). Their pre-season was mixed (3 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), including a 4-2 loss to Sevilla, averaging 2.0 goals scored and 1.7 goals conceded. Key players include Kenan Karaman, Max Grüger, and Taylan Bulut, with a probable 4-2-3-1 lineup: Hoffmann; Ayhan, Baumgartl, Ouwejan, Gantenbein; Grüger, Schallenberg; Antwi-Adjei, El-Faouzi, Karaman; Lasme. Schalke’s strengths are their attacking pace and home support at Veltins-Arena (62,273 capacity, sold out), but departures of Paul Seguin, Derry Murkin, and others, plus injuries to Niklas Tauer and Ibrahima Cisse, limit depth. They aim for a strong start to push for promotion.
Hertha BSC
Hertha, led by Stefan Leitl, starts after a 9th-place finish in 2024-25 with 48 points (13 wins, 9 draws, 12 losses). They went unbeaten in pre-season (4 wins, 2 draws), drawing 1-1 with Motherwell last, averaging 2.3 goals scored and 0.8 goals conceded. Key players include Fabian Reese (ex-Schalke, 2 goals in 3 H2H games), Kevin Volland, and Jeremy Dudziak, with a probable 4-3-3 lineup: Gersbeck; Pekarík, Kempf, M. Dárdai, Karbownik; Barkok, Dudziak, Marten; Reese, Niederlechner, Volland. Hertha’s strengths are their attacking spine, but losing Ibrahim Maza and Derry Scherhant hurts creativity. They target a promotion push.
Head-to-Head
The sports card above shows Schalke with a Bundesliga record of W36 D13 L27 against Hertha, with a +27 goal differential across 76 matches. In 2. Bundesliga, they’ve met 12 times, with Schalke winning 5, Hertha 4, and 3 draws. Recent clashes include Hertha’s 5-2 win on March 17, 2024 (Reese scoring), and Schalke’s 2-1 victory in October 2023. Matches average 2.82 goals, with 75% over 2.5 goals and 60% both teams scoring (BTTS) in the last 8 H2H, per fctables.com. Hertha have won 5 of the last 8, but Schalke are unbeaten in 3 of their last 5 home games vs. Hertha.
Predicted Score: Schalke 04 2-2 Hertha BSC
This Matchweek 1 clash on August 1, 2025, at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, at 6:30 PM UTC (2:30 PM EDT), opens the 2. Bundesliga season, per bundesliga.com. Schalke’s Karaman and Grüger face Hertha’s Reese and Volland, with Schalke’s home crowd (sold out) testing Hertha’s attack. Hertha are slight favorites (+140 odds) over Schalke (+195), with a draw at +215, per ESPN.com. Trends (Schalke: 50% over 2.5 goals; Hertha: 100% away) and H2H (9 of last 9 with 3+ goals) suggest a high-scoring game, but recent pre-season form leans under 3.5 goals (1.73 odds), per mightytips.com. Referee Richard Hempel may issue cards in the 20°C evening if the rivalry heats up. Schalke may score through Karaman, with Reese likely netting for Hertha. Both teams’ attacking intent and defensive gaps point to a draw, with Schalke’s home energy balancing Hertha’s recent H2H edge.
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