Karel Geraerts: The atmosphere should give you a boost

“It’s like playing a Pokal game in front of 50,000 noisy spectators,” said Geraerts. He stressed that, for the players, there aren’t many better situations that you can find yourself in. “A lot of the fans in the ground are going to be against you. The atmosphere should give you a boost when you’re out there on the pitch,” explained the Belgian. The head coach of the Royal Blues is expecting it to be a heated affair on and off the pitch and knows that he and his side can count on a huge contingent of away fans making the trip to Kaiserslautern. Geraerts emphasised that the Red Devils losing their last seven league matches is not important, as “anyone can beat anyone in the second division.”

The 42-year-old expressed his satisfaction with the side’s development, despite the fact that they kicked off the second half of the 2.Bundesliga season with a loss. He made it clear that he wasn’t going to start panicking because of one bad result. “Our fundamentals are getting stronger and stronger and we’ll look to make the most of this.”

Marcin Kaminski and Ron Schallenberg will be unavailable for Friday’s game due to suspension. Blendi Idrizi is ill and it will be decided after Thursday’s training session whether the midfielder will be in the matchday squad.

Derry John Murkin will return for the game after serving a one-game suspension against Hamburg. The Englishman could replace Thomas Ouwejan in the starting eleven, though Geraerts was very pleased with his performance against HSV. Alternatively, Murkin could take the suspended Kaminski’s place at centre-back, but Timo Baumgartl is also an option for this role. “Timo has been waiting for his chance for a long time,” said Geraerts, who trusts Baumgartl to put in a strong performance if he features in the starting eleven. Geraerts sees having three candidates for two positions as a positive thing: “I’m glad that I’m able to make such difficult decisions. This means that the team is pushing itself towards a better level.”

Geraerts didn’t make it clear whether Tuesday’s signing Darko Churlinov will be part of the squad, but the returnee has already been able to make a positive impression on him. “Darko is really motivated to display his quality on the pitch and to help Schalke. I’m very happy that he’s with us,” S04’s head coach said. Geraerts sees Churlinov “possibly as a striker, possibly as a number ten. We can also adapt the system and he can then play out wide. I have more options and flexibility, which is good for the upcoming weeks.”