This Saturday will feature a mini-Revierderby between the U23 teams of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04. BVB is expecting this many spectators.

On Saturday (2 p.m., RS live ticker), the highly anticipated mini-derby between the U23 teams of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 will take place at Rote Erde Stadium.

From a sporting perspective, the situation is quite interesting. Although nearly every expert had BVB listed as the favorite for promotion, FC Schalke 04—currently atop the standings—is traveling to Dortmund to face its archrival.

Following their home loss to 1.FC Bocholt, the Royal Blues hold an eight-point lead over BVB. Schalke will take the field against the Black and Yellows with corresponding confidence. Dortmund, on the other hand, is still falling short of its own expectations. After their last-minute relegation from the 3rd League, the goal was supposed to be immediate promotion back up. But consistency is still lacking.

Now, of course, things are expected to go better against S04 II. It’s the first Regionalliga derby in more than four years. But what about security? Following last weekend’s riots at Cologne’s main train station—where up to 340 fans from each club reportedly clashed—can we expect something similar? Probably not.

Since BVB expects the match to proceed peacefully, according to RS information, there will be only a few changes compared to a typical BVB II home game. For example, more security personnel will be on duty. Otherwise, the usual procedures will remain in place.

However, only a few Schalke fans are likely to make their way to Dortmund on Saturday. For one thing, the active fan base doesn’t attend U23 games anyway; for another, the first team is playing against SV Elversberg at 1:00 p.m. at the Arena. And BVB is also playing at Hamburger SV at 3:30 p.m.

As such, a large crowd isn’t expected at the Rote Erde Stadium. BVB anticipates 1,500 fans for the game.