Schalke 04 hosts Bayern Munich in home opener after Bundesliga return

Returning to the Bundesliga after three years in the second division is already a reward in itself. But the fixture list shows no mercy: Schalke 04 will make its home debut against none other than Bayern Munich, the team that has turned the German league into a monologue. The match is set for the Veltins-Arena on Saturday, September 5, in the second matchday of the campaign, and it promises to test the newly promoted side's ambitions right away.

Kickoff times for South America are as follows: 1:30 p.m. (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and 11:30 a.m. (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador). The broadcast will be available on Disney+'s Premium Plan, exclusive to the region.

A Bayern side that inspires fear through the numbers

You don't have to dig too deep to understand why the Bavarians arrive as heavy favorites. According to the club itself, they're riding a streak of 25 matches without a loss, with 22 wins and three draws. On the road they're even tougher to handle: 26 Bundesliga matches without a defeat. These are numbers that speak to a machine that gives no quarter, not even away from home. Head coach Vincent Kompany was full of praise for the opponent, though without losing sight of the context:

"In Germany the jump from the second division to the first is more manageable than in England, where the gap is much bigger, especially financially. When I watch Schalke, you wouldn't necessarily say they're a promoted team. They look solid"Vincent Kompany

Bayern's league opener was a statement: 5-1 against Stuttgart, with four goals coming in the second half, as if the team had saved its firepower for after the break. That's where Harry Kane comes in. He went scoreless in that rout and will look to break his duck against a rival that, on paper, looks far more vulnerable. It's also worth recalling the most recent meeting between the two sides: a resounding 6-0 win for the Munich side on May 13, 2023, the last time they met.

A Schalke side in need of a response

Schalke's debut in the top flight couldn't have been tougher: a 3-0 road loss to Augsburg, in which the defense held up fairly well until, in the final 11 minutes, it collapsed and let the scoreline balloon into a rout. It was a costly lesson for a team still finding its footing at the level of Germany's elite. Still, one name emerged unscathed from the wreckage: Soufian El-Faouzi. The Moroccan midfielder was among the standouts on the pitch, winning four of six duels and recovering the ball five times. If Schalke hopes to spring a surprise, it will need more players stepping up with that kind of effort. Kompany, for his part, isn't taking the opponent lightly, nor is he downplaying the challenge that any Bundesliga team represents:

"Augsburg had a tough time, but they also had a good preseason. I don't think they'll have as many problems this season. We're facing a Bundesliga team, and that's always difficult"Vincent Kompany

The question hanging over the Veltins-Arena is simple: will home support be enough to slow down a machine that hasn't lost in more than two dozen matches? Saturday will start to provide the answer.