Preußen Münster vs FC Schalke 04 Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this one. We've got Preußen Münster sitting mid-table in 12th with 14 points, welcoming second-placed Schalke who've been flying high with 27 points. It's a proper tale of two seasons so far, innit?

Münster have been a bit of a mixed bag recently. They had a decent result beating Holstein Kiel 2-1 at home, but then went and lost 1-0 to Greuther Fürth in their last outing. The thing with Münster is they're proper unpredictable at home - they're scoring 2 goals per game on their own patch, which ain't bad, but they've also kept exactly zero clean sheets in their last 10 matches. That's right, none! They're basically guaranteed to concede, which makes for exciting viewing if you're a neutral.

Schalke, on the other hand, have been solid as a rock defensively. Half their recent games have ended with clean sheets, and they're only letting in 0.9 goals per game on average. They did have a couple of blips recently - lost 2-1 to Karlsruher and got stuffed 4-0 by Darmstadt in the cup - but overall they've been quality.

When these two have met before, it's been all Schalke. Two games, two wins for the visitors - 1-0 and 2-1. Münster have never beaten them, which tells you something about the matchup.

The stats paint an interesting picture. Münster like to have the ball (58.8% possession) but don't always do much with it. Schalke are happy with less possession (40.8%) but are much more efficient. It's classic possession vs counter-attack stuff.

Given Schalke's defensive record and Münster's inability to keep clean sheets, I'm leaning towards a low-scoring affair. Schalke know how to shut up shop, and while Münster can score at home, they're also generous at the back. The goal expectancy suggests around 3 goals, but I reckon that's a bit optimistic given recent form.