FC Schalke 04 is under pressure at the start of the second half of the season. They need a win against 1. FC Köln to keep their hopes alive in the relegation battle.
Including Soichiro Kozuki (own U23), FC Schalke has already welcomed six new players before the start of the second half of the Bundesliga. Before Sunday’s match (15:30) against 1. FC Köln, defender Moritz Jens has been loaned from Celtic Glasgow.
The Schalkers are trying everything to optimise the squad. So far without success. The 1:6 against RB Leipzig on Wednesday was the best proof. On Sunday, there has to be an improvement, not only because this was demanded by Schalke board member Peter Knäbel.
S04 coach Thomas Reis also knows that staying in the relegation zone is utopian if the team performs as it did against RB. Especially since 1. FC Köln is an opponent who came out of the winter break well and who has not lost at Schalke since 2011.
Reis: “I want to see the team perform differently. Tuesday was very weak, we built up the pressure ourselves. We now have to step on the gas and show a different face. It’s going to be an intense game, Cologne has a very strong team that has achieved good results lately. “
Looking at his first eleven, it may well be that several additions will start. Reis on his personnel: “Tom Krauß is back in full, Rodrigo Zalazar and Alex Kral were able to train fully and are a topic for the squad, Thomas Ouwejan is also close to making a comeback. “
The coach still has to do without eight players: Timothée Kolodziejczak, Nassim Boujellab (both may leave the club), Ibrahima Cissé (with the U23), Justin Heekeren (cruciate ligament injury), Thoams Ouwejan (rehabilitation training after knee ligament injury), Sebastian Polter (cruciate ligament injury), Niklas Tauer (muscle fibre tear) and Sepp van den Berg (ankle injury) are still out.
Reis did not want to reveal who will play in the end. After the debacle against Leipzig, he had of course given some thought to all the positions. The only thing that is clear is that there will be changes. Reis makes it clear: “When you lose two games, as a coach you go through all the positions and ask yourself: ‘Who is man enough to start on Sunday?’ You try to find a team that can give everything against this intense Cologne team. Because with nine points, it doesn’t look rosy. We know we have to get a lot of points. There can’t be many more games like against Leipzig. “
