* Bayer Leverkusen have had the upper hand over Schalke in recent years, winning four of the sides' last six meetings. The other two games have ended in a draw and a win for die Knappen in March 2010.
* In the Bundesliga, die Werkself have scored 94 goals against Schalke with die Koenigsblauen scoring 75 in response.
* Despite flying high in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen have performed better away from the BayArena with 30 points being won on the road in comparison to 22 points at home.
* The two teams have met 26 times at the BayArena with the home side picking up 15 wins and their Gelsenkirchen counterparts taking all the points on five occasions.
* Bayer coach Jupp Heynckes was in charge of Schalke during the 2003-04 campaign and led die Knappen to a seventh-placed finish before leaving the club at the beginning of the following season.
* So far this season, Schalke have scored 31 goals, with the same amount being conceded, leaving the club as the only team in the Bundesliga with a goal difference of zero.
* Schalke's 1-0 home defeat to Leverkusen back in October left the side second bottom with only one victory in their first 10 Bundesliga games of the season.
* Following the departure of head coach Felix Magath, former Hoffenheim boss Ralf Rangnick will take the helm for Sunday's encounter with the Werkself.
* None of the players expected to start for the Champions League quarter-finalists have ever scored against Leverkusen.
* If top scorer Raul scores this weekend, the legendary Spaniard will have a dozen Bundesliga goals to his name in his debut season in Germany.
LAST MEETING
October 30, 2010: Schalke 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen continued their impressive start to the season and condemned Schalke to another defeat back in October with a 1-0 away win against die Koenigsblauen, Sidney Sam scoring the only goal of the game on 65 minutes.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Bayer Leverkusen: Adler; Schwaab, Hyypia, Reinartz, Kadlec; Rolfes, Ballack; Sam, Renato Augusto, Castro, Kiessling.
Schalke: Neuer; Uchida, Metzelder, Papadopoulos, Escudero; Edu, Annan, Kluge, Jurado; Raul, Gavranovic.
Prediction
Leverkusen 1-1 Schalke 04 
