Revierderby: Dreadful Dortmund escape with a lucky point

Schalke 0-0 Dortmund
(Veltin's Arena, Gelsenkirchen)

Schalke dominated rivals Borussia Dortmund for long periods of the 179th Revierderby but failed to find a breakthrough, despite hitting the woodwork twice. 

Salif Sané saw his header come back off the crossbar before Suat Serdar struck the inside of the post in a first half in which Welsh youngster Rabbi Matondo also found himself one-on-one with Dortmund goalkeeper Marwin Hitz - a late addition to the visitors' starting eleven after Roman Bürki fell ill. 

At the other end, Dortmund were reliant on another British youngster for their only three chances. English teenager Jadon Sancho forced impressive saves from Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nübel in both halves and also curled one shot wide - but that was all Dortmund produced in an otherwise dreadful performance which will increase the pressure on coach Lucien Favre.

The position of the Swiss coach will be questioned even further following Mario Götze's substitution. The German World Cup winner didn't even glance at his boss when he was taken off and was later reported to have left the Veltin's Arena in a private vehicle - although Borussia Dortmund later tweeted that Götze had been taken to hospital for an x-ray on an injured hand. 

As for Schalke, the Royal Blues will be disappointed not to have recorded a second consecutive derby win over their rivals. Two sliding tackles from Amine Harit and Bastian Ozcipka in injury time embodied Schalke's fighting spirit while Serdar and Mascarell also impressed in a performance which ultimately wasn't rewarded - as Dortmund escaped with an undeserved point.

Full-time: Schalke 0-0 Dortmund

And that's it! The 179th Revierderby ends goalless, and only one side will be happy with that: Borussia Dortmund. The visitors were outplayed and outfought for large periods by a combative Schalke side who did everything but score - even hitting the woodwork twice.

90+2' Harit and Ozcipka both slide in on Piszczek to win possession for Schalke on the half-way line. That has been typical of Schalke's mentality this afternoon.

90+1' Brandt dribbles along the Schalke box before stabbing the ball through to Reus, but the Dortmund captain can't control. 

90' The referee has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.

87' SUBSTITUTION BVB: Achraf Hakimi is replaced by Julian Brandt

84' Interesting reports emerging that Mario Götze, after being substituted, has left the stadium in a private car. As we said earlier, Götze didn't even glance at Favre when he was taken off. 

83' More penalty claims, this time from Schalke again as Hummels tackles Harit in the box - the Dortmunder defender did get a toe on the ball. No penalty: correct decision.

80' SUBSTITUTION SCHALKE: Rabbi Matondo is replaced by Ahmed Kutucu

77' An unusual spell of pressure from Borussia Dortmund. After half-hearted appeals for a penalty after Hakimi goes down, Sancho slices a cross-cum-shot harmlessly across goal. Suddenly, the away end seems to have woken up, the volume is increasing and another flare is set off.

73' Third chance of the game for Dortmund, third chance of the game for Sancho - but Nübel saves at his near post. If Dortmund have any hope of getting something here, it lies with Sancho. And Schalke need to be aware of that, especially given that they've not yet managed to convert their dominance into a lead.

68' Schalke continue to dominate and create yet another chance for Matondo, who once again fails to score when one-on-one with Nübel - this time, he fires over. The Royal Blues must be wondering how they are not in front.

59' Huge penalty claims from the Schalke fans after a corner strikes Hazard on the hand in the box - the substitute's first touch! But the referee waves play on and there doesn't appear to have been any communication from the video assistant in Cologne.

Here at the DW offices, we think that's a clear penalty and it's odd that the referee isn't even looking at it. 

57' SUBSTITUTION BVB: Mario Götze is replaced by Thorgan Hazard. Götze walks around the pitch and doesn't even look at Lucien Favre as he takes his place on the bench.

53' Finally another chance for Dortmund and it's no surprise that it's Jadon Sancho who creates it. The teenager dribbles past a couple of defenders on the edge of the box before curling an effort just wide. 

48' And Schalke pick up exactly where they left off! Dortmund clear off the line from before Matondo is once again sent through one-on-one. Once again, Nübel saves - but once again, the flag is up. Dortmund need to wake up - and fast.

46' We're back underway in Gelsenkirchen, no changes on either side.

HT : Schalke 0-0 Dortmund
If it wasn't for the woodwork, Schalke would be out of sight by now. After the early chance for Jadon Sancho which Alexander Nübel saved brilliantly, Dortmund have been non-existant in attack. At the other end, Schalke have hit the bar through Salif Sané and the post through Suat Serdar - the latter one of the Royal Blues best players.

Massive room for improvement from Dortmund, but will Schalke regret not taking their chances?

45' At the other end, Hakimi fires a half-volley wide from about 30 meters. 

44' Huge chance for Schalke! Matondo finds himself alone in the Dortmund half with only Hitz to beat but the BVB number two saves with his legs! However, it would have gone to VAR had he scored after the linesman raised his flag for offside ... 

40' Piszczek slices a bizarre volleyed cross high into the Nordkurve, where the Schalke ultras stop laughing for just enough time to catch the ball. Very sloppy from Dortmund.

33' POST! Some very dodgy Dortmund defending begins with a sloppy Sancho pass before Hummels' clearance strikes Delaney in the face and the ball falls to Serdar, who hits the post! Calamitous scenes from the Yellow & Black perspective, but another huge chance for the Royal Blues.

32' Dortmund try their luck down the left-hand side with Hakimi, but the Moroccan isn't having the best of afternoons and again loses possession.

30' Matondo shoots over from distance for Schalke, who are by far the more active of the two teams offensively.

28' CROSSBAR! Salif Sané climbs to meet Bastian Ozcipka's corner but the Schalke defender's header crashes back off the bar! The closest we've come to the opening goal. 

25' After Marco Reus tracks back to win possession in midfield for Dortmund, the ball comes to Mario Götze out on the right wing. But the 2014 World Cup winner looks a bit lost out on the flank and passes straight to a Schalke player. Sums up Dortmund's offensive efforts since the Sancho effort.

22' After catching a deflected effort from Piszczek, Schalke goalkeeper Nübel then demonstrates some clever footwork on the ball while under pressure from a couple of Dortmund players. A confident start from the young Schalke captain.

21' Stambouli joins Weigl in the referee's notebook. 1-1 on yellow cards but still 0-0 on the scoreboard.

19' Weigl picks up the first yellow card of the afternoon for a professional foul on Matondo. Following the resulting free-kick, Serdar drags a weak shot wide of the Dortmund goal.

17' Finally another spell of possession for the visitors, against a background of whistles from the Schalke fans. Dortmund move the ball across the pitch via Sancho, Piszczek & Hakimi, but it's all a bit ponderous. 

Dortmund haven't produced anything up front since the Sancho shot, which produced this stunning save from Nübel:

13' Schalke win two corners directly infront of the away end, but both are cleared with ease. 

10' Now Mascarell shoots low and wide from just outside the Dortund box. Schalke ramping up the pressure slightly here.

8' Schalke finally respond with a first meaningful attack of their own as Caligiuri chips forward into the path of Matondo - but Piszczek is well placed to clear for Dortmund.

3' The first chance falls to Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, the English teenager letting fly from the edge of the box, but Nübel is equal to it.

1' And we're off! A slight delay as yellow smoke billows out of the away end, but the Revierderby is finally underway!

Line-ups:

Here's how the sides line-up at the Veltins Arena.

Schalke: Nübel (c) – Kenny, Stambouli, Sane, Oczipka – Serdar, Mascarell – Caligiuri, Harit, Serdar – Burgstaller

Dortmund: Hitz – Guerreiro, Weigl, Hummels, Piszczek – Witsel, Delaney – Sancho, Reus (c), Hakimi – Götze

***

Hello and welcome one and all to DW's coverage of Matchday 9's headline act: The 95th Bundesliga meeting between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund! With 33 wins to their name, BVB narrowly edge Schalke (32) in the historical head-to-head, but in the 'Mother of Derbies', as it's affectionately known, form goes out the window. 

We'll be back at 14:00 CEST on Saturday to bring you all the pre-match build-up, official team news and highlights from social media. For now, check out DW's lowdown on the Bundesliga's headline game of the weekend.

Can Schalke win the big one?

Schalke have been on a rollercoaster ride that has seen them qualify for Europe and tangle with relegation all within the last decade, but with David Wagner at the helm, there's a sense that a stable future could be possible. However, after letting the chance to go top of the Bundesliga twice each side of the international break, Wagner needs Schalke to shed their reputation of crumbling when the pressure is on and Saturday's clash with Dortmund is another chance to do just that. 

Views from the coach: Schalke

David Wagner, Schalke head coach: "I'm looking forward to [my first Revierderby] just like everyone else. This is the game you look for when the fixture list comes out. We can't wait for tomorrow. [Dortmund] don't have many weaknesses. All of their players are top-level footballers. They have suffered setbacks like a lot of other teams, which is why it's so tight at the top." 

Views from the coach: Dortmund

Lucien Favre, Dortmund head coach: "Schalke have become a lot more stable, they press very well, and are extremely athletic with a number of very dangerous players. Of course every game is important, but the Revierderby between Schalke and Dortmund is definitely very special. We've got to by fully focused on the encounter." 

A worldwide rivalry

Top 3 Stats: Schalke

• Despite the recent setbacks, Schalke have eight points more than they did at this stage last season (14 compared to six). They only picked up their 14th point on MD13 in 2018/19.
• Schalke haven’t lost back-to-back home games against Dortmund in the Bundesliga for almost seven and half years, in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
• Schalke have already scored more than twice as many goals this season (14) as they did at the same stage last year (five). The Royal Blues have also netted four goals from set pieces already – only Bremen (five) and Bayern (seven) have managed more. 

Top 3 Stats: Dortmund

• Dortmund have only won one of the last seven derbies against Schalke (D4, L2): 2-1 in Gelsenkirchen last season. The Royal Blues have won two of the last three meetings.
• Dortmund have failed to win any of their last three away Bundesliga games (D2, L1). They have never gone four away matches in a row without a win under Lucien Favre.
• Marco Reus has only scored once in eight games against Schalke, but since making his Bundesliga debut in August 2009, he's put his team 1-0 ahead 48 times – only Robert Lewandowski has done so more often (52).