Basement duel in the Bundesliga: Schalke 04 welcomes Hertha BSC on Friday evening. Here’s how Berlin coach Sandro Schwarz looks ahead to the landmark duel.

A relegation battle in the Veltins Arena: FC Schalke 04, the Bundesliga’s bottom team, will host Hertha BSC, second from last in the standings, on Friday evening (8:30 p.m., RS-Liveticker).

Two days before the landmark clash in the battle to stay in the league, Berlin coach Sandro Schwarz gave an insight into his feelings. He feels “tension, but above all anticipation,” the coach explained at a press conference on Wednesday – and specified: “Anticipation of an important and emotional game, a heated atmosphere, a tight stadium and 3100 of our fans.”

That the air in the Gelsenkirchen Arena will crackle on Friday evening is to be expected given the explosive starting position. Former Schalke player and current Hertha pro Kevin-Prince Boateng had already announced that he would not shy away from red-worthy fouls.

His coach put it into perspective: “Without question, you need the aggressiveness and must not pull back in the fifty-fifty duels. But we must also not get carried away and let the heated atmosphere get to us,” said Schwarz.

More importantly, the 44-year-old demands “stability, straightforwardness and footballing quality” from his side, “to counter the man-orientation and aggressive approach” of the hosts.

Hertha is currently one point ahead of Schalke and has been waiting five games for a win. Most recently, the team from the capital sold itself respectably in the 1:1 against SC Freiburg and 0:1 against RB Leipzig. “We got a lot of compliments for our performance after both games, but now it’s also about the results,” stressed Schwarz, who called the game a “huge opportunity.”

While the coach can count on former Schalke players Boateng, Suat Serdar and Jonjoe Kenny, Jean-Paul Boetius (rehabilitation training), Kelian Nsona (knee surgery) and Chidera Ejuke (knee injury) are out for the guest game in the Ruhr area.