Berlin: Germany international Ilkay Gundogan is set to return to the Borussia Dortmund line-up for Sunday's Ruhr derby at Schalke as his club looks to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Dortmund started the weekend five points behind Bayern with six games left as they travel 50kms west to neighbours Gelsenkirchen.
This will be the 88th Bundesliga meeting between the arch-rivals with Dortmund having won 32 of the matches while Schalke have 30 victories with 25 draws.
Schalke are seventh in Germany's top flight, 23 points behind second-placed Dortmund, who have already qualified for the Champions League next season, while the Royal Blues of Gelsenkirchen are just outside the European places.
"I'm assuming that everyone knows the score, because we don't need extra motivation," said Schalke coach Andre Breitenreiter after his side crashed 3-0 at Ingolstadt last weekend.
"Everyone knows that we put in a crappy performance in Ingolstadt. Correcting that should be incentive enough.
"I expect the boys to be merciless, they have to at least manage that."
Three days after their 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-finals, Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is set to include Gundogan, who has been out for five weeks with a foot injury.
"He's ready," said Tuchel, whose side is unbeaten in 2016.
The Dortmund boss will rotate his starting line-up ahead of Thursday's return leg against Liverpool at Anfield: "Personnel changes are inevitable, there is no alternative."
Tuchel says he has not imposed a ban on Dortmund hot-shot Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulling off any more elaborate goal celebrations.
The Gabon striker has picked up three yellow cards this season and a fifth would see him suspended for a game, which could be crucial in the coming weeks.
Aubameyang was booked after scoring against Schalke in February 2015, because he donned a Batman mask, which he had had stashed behind the Schalke goal, in a 3-0 victory.
"He can celebrate again if he scores the deciding goal," said Tuchel with a smile.
But he expects a tough match at Schalke.
"There is a lot of untapped potential in the Schalke team," said Tuchel.
"I expect us to play this game with the necessary composure.
"I think Schalke will attempt to use this game to reconcile themselves with their fans," he added after Schalke's poor display at Ingolstadt.
AFP
