Smoke, flares and rockets disrupted the second division match between Schalke and Karlsruher SC. This was caused by the visiting fans.
The second division match between FC Schalke 04 and Karlsruher SC had to be interrupted in the early stages on Easter Sunday. The reason was the massive use of pyrotechnics in the visitors’ block. KSC supporters set off Bengalos, pots of smoke and even rockets in the arena for several minutes.
The match was interrupted for around two minutes for this reason before referee Robert Hartmann blew the whistle again.
Geraerts made four changes to his starting eleven for the KSC game. As expected, Marcin Kaminski replaces the injured Ron Schallenberg and defends alongside Tomas Kalas in the center of defense. Cedric Brunner is preferred to Matriciani on the right defensive wing, while his counterpart on the left is John Murkin, as was the case recently with Derry.
Paul Seguin returns to the team after his yellow card suspension. He takes Danny Latza’s place in defensive midfield. With Thomas Ouwejan and Yusuf Kabadayi in the half-back positions and Kenan Karaman in the central role behind the strikers, the rest of the midfield remains unchanged.
This also means that Assan Ouedraogo will have to postpone his comeback into the starting eleven. The 17-year-old hopeful is on the bench for the time being. Bryan Lasme also takes his place there. He has to make way for youngster Keke Topp, who is preferred alongside Simon Terodde in the front two.
Schalke 04 – Karlsruher SC: The line-up
Schalke: Müller – Brunner, Kalas, Kaminski, Murkin – Seguin – Kabadayi, Ouwejan – Karaman – Terodde, Topp
KSC: Drewes – Jung, Beifus, Jensen, Gondorf, Matanovic, Wanitzek, Zivzivadze, Herold, Nebel, Franke
At the press conference on Thursday, Geraerts made it clear that he still has a score to settle with KSC. “I have very bad memories. We didn’t just lose, we had no chance. The fans were angry – and rightly so. That was a tough first experience at Schalke. Karlsruhe is still one of the best teams in the league for me. We want revenge for the first leg on Sunday. “