Schalke is running out of players, but the coach isn’t complaining. That’s how he’s approaching the 90 minutes against SV Elversberg.

After the late shocker at Karlsruher SC, FC Schalke faces another team from the top half of the standings on Saturday (1 p.m.).

Second place versus third, Schalke versus Elversberg. S04 coach Miron Muslic faces the problem of having many players out, forcing him to improvise against Elversberg.

Nine absences are confirmed. The question marks surrounding Hasan Kurucay and Finn Porath are fading; they appear to be getting fit for the big match.

One thing is clear: It will be a pivotal match. With a win, Schalke could move into first place, provided Paderborn doesn’t win in Magdeburg. A loss would mark their third consecutive defeat in competitive play.

That’s why Muslic emphasized at the press conference ahead of Saturday’s 90 minutes: “Every single absence hurts us, even the sheer number of them. It’s another challenge. We’ll tackle that as a collective, as a team, too. Janik Bachmann has a heel injury; we’ll miss him. Amin Younes as well—which I’m very, very sorry about. Amin was on the right track; he played well both times against Darmstadt. He was supposed to start on Saturday, too, but he’s now felt a slight twinge in his thigh.”

This means the S04 coach will have to keep improvising—and against an opponent for whom he has great respect. “They’ve had an outstanding second half of the season and have maintained their level of performance despite many lineup changes. They have an incredible amount of quality and structure, and three or four players with very high individual quality. This will be a tough nut to crack.“

Since Elversberg will definitely be looking to make their move on offense, Muslic believes it could be an exciting game: ”I think it will be an offensive game. Because we also have a lot of quality on offense—despite the absences.”

Here’s how FC Schalke could line up against SV Elversberg

Karius – Ayhan, Katic, Kurucay – Wallentowitz, El-Faouzi, Schallenberg, V. Becker – Porath, Karaman – Sylla

Absent: Antwi-Adjei (calf injury), T. Becker (torn medial ligament), Gantenbein (5th yellow card), Gomis (thigh injury), E. Höjlund (foot injury), Kalas (knee injury), Lasme (calf injury), Bachmann (heel injury), Younes (muscle issues)

At risk of suspension: V. Becker