First it’s off to Bochum, then BVB: Schalke 04 is looking forward to the Revierderby weeks, but the personnel situation remains tense. On Monday there were updates on Ouwejan, Uronen, Skarke and other players.
Not present in Bochum either: Thomas Ouwejan.
IMAGO/Revierfoto
In the past two games, the Schalke team has shown that they can cope well with absences, both defensively and offensively.
In the 0-0 draw at Union Berlin, Thomas Reis had to replace the two wingers Tim Skarke and Soichiro Kozuki, and the coach brought in Marius Bülter and Dominick Drexler. These two now also started against VfB Stuttgart – and each scored a dream goal in the 2-1 win.
In addition, Reis had to come up with something on the full-back positions against the Swabians on Saturday. Cedric Brunner was out on the right and was replaced by Mehmet Aydin, while Jere Uronen and Thomas Ouwejan were unavailable on the left. It was taken over by Henning Matriciani, who promptly played a part in creating the 1-0 lead.
At the beginning of the preparations for the two district derbies at VfL Bochum on Saturday (3.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) and against Borussia Dortmund seven days later, the situation at Schalke continued to be tense on Monday. With the exception of Simon Terodde, who is currently taking a break from training due to a cold, it is all about players whose conditions have recently caused major or minor concerns.
Brunner and Kozuki on the mend
You don’t have to worry about Brunner comparatively much. He was not available against Stuttgart because of a broken nose, but should be back in Bochum. Although he was still training on Monday without the announced face mask, this was only because corrections are still necessary for the customization.
Kozuki, who was Schalke’s only goal scorer this calendar year until the game against Stuttgart (in a 6-1 loss to RB Leipzig), is on the right track after suffering a ligament injury in his foot. It is likely that he can return to the squad on Saturday but is not expected to start.
Skarke and Ouwejan are missing in Bochum
The current condition of Ouwejan, Skarke and Uronen is less good. Skarke is still struggling with his bruised foot, he will definitely miss the Ruhrpottderby against Bochum. This also applies to Ouwejan, who has adductor problems and may also fail against BVB. In the case of urons (muscular complaints), you have to “look from day to day”, says Gerald Asamoah, head of the licensed players department.
