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Borussia Dortmund - Schalke Preview: Reus missing for Ruhr derby

Coaches Thomas Tuchel and Andre Breitenreiter are set for their first taste of the Bundesliga grudge match but both will be attempting to engineer victory without key players Borussia Dortmund and Schalke will be missing key players for the 147th Ruhr derby at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday, with both Marco Reus and Benedikt Howedes sidelined. Germany star Reus is set to be absent for two weeks after injuring his hamstring in Dortmund's win over Qabala in midweek while Howedes has a fractured finger. Schalke will also be without set-piece specialist Johannes Geis as they prepare for a run of Bundesliga fixtures that will see them face Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen after their trip to Dortmund. Thomas Tuchel's men come into the game in good shape having won all six of their matches since their defeat to Bayern Munich, scoring 24 goals and ensuring progression to the Europa League's knockout phase in the process. Sunday's match will be both Tuchel and Schalke boss Andre Breitenreiter's first experience of the derby, with the Dortmund manager admitting form counts for nothing. "It's quite simply the derby in Germany," he told Sky Deutschland . "That's why there is no clear-cut favourite because it has its own rules.

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