Ahead of #S04TSG: "We want to take our chances"

JULIAN NAGELSMANN ON:

… the opposition:

Schalke are not currently where many, themselves included, expected they would be.  They were in a crisis when we last played them and they were in a spell of very low confidence. I believe that while still short of 100 per cent, they are in significantly better shape now. They use a different setup which works a lot more for their players. In Burgstaller they have picked up a player who does not just score goals, but makes them really tough to play against. He covers a massive amount of distance and really adds to the team’s build-up play. It will be a tough game.

… the personnel:

Mark Uth will not be available for Schalke. We examined him again and found, among other things, a muscle issue in his ribs. He will be out for at least three to four weeks. Aside from that, Lukas Rupp is also still out. He has made a lot of progress but still cannot train with the team. Fabian Schär is also making progress but Sunday has come too soon for him. If things go to plan, he will be able to re-join team training next week. Jeremy Toljan has had a setback. He was fit but has damaged his thigh, and will also be unavailable.

… the sporting situation:

We did not play poorly away to Leipzig and Wolfsburg, but the results did not go our way. In Leipzig we had good spells of play and Wolfsburg was a game of two halves for us. I think that the team will learn from that second half. They showed that in Darmstadt. We stayed strong in duels and were aggressive in our play.

… more on the sporting situation:

We want to prevent three negative away results on the bounce and win the game! (Laughs) We want to take our chances. Schalke’s workload is playing no part in our preparation. They will come into the game with full fitness. Markus Weinzierl has managed their run of games well, but we will see how things are going over the full 90 minutes. The run of six or seven weeks with midweek matches can take its toll eventually.

THE PREVIOUS BATTLES:

S04 and TSG have played one another 17 times in the Bundesliga, with one further encounter in the DFB Cup. The balance is completely even, with both sides having seven wins each and four of them ending in draws. TSG have won away three times against Schalke, most recently the 3-1 DFB Cup round of 16 win in the 13/14 season. Since then, TSG are on a run of three consecutive wins over Schalke, most recently at the start of the season, when they won 2-1 at home, which itself was the first win of the Bundesliga season following four consecutive draws.

THE OPPOSITION'S FORM:

Schalke’s poor start to the season left them trailing at first, but found their feet somewhat and now sit in the middle of the table with 26 points. They are currently on a run of five games unbeaten, their last draw coming at the end of January at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Schalke remain in the DFB Cup and this week earned their place in the Europa League round of 16. A difficult match is to be expected.

THE GAME AHEAD:

The two teams’ stats do not differ significantly on the defensive side, but the gap appears more with regard to offence. TSG have 38 goals in their last 21 games compared to Schalke’s 25, with TSG also turning in higher shot accuracy and better chance conversion. 

Match facts and statistics »