FC Schalke drew 0-0 with FC Twente Enschede in a test match. The 90 minutes didn’t have much significance.

With ten days to go until the start of the second division, FC Schalke 04 showed themselves to be well prepared in the general pröbchen against Dutch first division side FC Twente Enschede.

Although both teams created a number of scoring chances, the game ended 0-0 – but the test did little to indicate what Schalke’s starting eleven will look like for the start of the season against Braunschweig (August 3).

To the surprise of Schalke fans, Geraerts did not use his preferred tactics or all eleven players who had made the best impression in preparation so far. Of the current top eleven, only Derry John Murkin, Janik Bachmann, Paul Seguin, Kenan Karaman and Moussa Sylla were on the pitch.

Tomas Kalas, for example, was absent due to a stress test and sat quietly in the stands. And after Geraerts had rehearsed the 3-5-2 system in all tests and almost all training sessions so far, he arranged his team in a 4-2-3-1 system against Twente, with striker Sylla suddenly playing at right-back

“FC Schalke – Twente Enschede July 24, 2024” src=“https://forecasting-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1.516_norm.jpg” width=“680” height=“495” /☻

However, the 1B eleven put in a decent opening quarter of an hour on the pitch in the shade of the Marl Chemiepark with their alternative tactics. The Schalke team were keen to combine, played flat and frequently got close to the opposition penalty area. One player who is still on the hit list was involved in most of the combinations:

Tobias Mohr was involved in many dangerous scenes on the left flank. However, neither Mohr’s crosses, which Sylla (3) and Bachmann (27) missed, nor a shot on goal (3) led to a goal. Murkin had the best chance for Schalke, shooting just over (29). The central defence, formed by the young additions Martin Wasinski and Felipe Sanchez, harmonized surprisingly well. Both have developed into insider tips for the first game.

FC Twente, who are third in the Eredivisie and will take part in the Champions League qualifiers where they will face RB Salzburg in the third round, looked as tired as if all the players had walked the 94 kilometers from Enschede to Marl beforehand. And yet Twente had the best chance in the first half. Sem Steijn hit the crossbar of the Schalke goal with a shot in the 20th minute. The score was 0-0 at the break and the 3,000 spectators felt well entertained; they applauded

“Schalke Day July 21, 2024” src=“https://forecasting-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2.488_norm.jpg” width=“680” height=“445” /☻

During the break, Geraerts took the most important players off the pitch – for example, they continued without Karaman, Seguin, Murkin and Bachmann. It was now no longer even a general preparation, but a test of almost no value. Mohr suddenly played at ten – for the first time in his time at Schalke. And two other players who had been left out – Henning Matriciani and Sebastian Polter – moved into the team.

Matriciani was involved in the first two chances of the second half. After a misplaced back pass, Twente striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel ran alone towards the Schalke goal but shot at the outside of the net (51′). Just two minutes later, Matriciani appeared on the offensive. He broke through on the left and played Sebastian Polter into the center of the penalty area.

He spun around his opponent and shot over. Polter had the winning goal on his feet a second time in the 70th minute, but pushed the ball into Unnerstall’s arms – the fans murmured and suspected that there would be no more goals on this sunny July evening.

It remained to be seen in Marl whether Geraerts would ask his team to play another test in the next ten days.