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Karel Geraerts: That’s the magic of Schalke
Schalke 04 were able to breathe a sigh of relief after a 4-0 win in the rearranged away fixture against VfL Osnabrück 4 secured their spot in next season’s second division. The Royal Blues will now be able to play without the pressing threat of relegation as they prepare to face Hansa Rostock at home on Saturday, 11th May (13:00 CEST). Instead, now in seventeenth place and in immediate danger of sinking into the 3. Liga, Schalke’s upcoming opponents will be the ones feeling the heat this coming weekend, and will need to put up a fight against S04 if they want to stand a chance of visiting the VELTINS-Arena again next season.
“We want to put in a good performance and come away with the three points,” remarked head coach Karel Geraerts. “That’s what we’re setting out to do, and it’s what our fans deserve – it’s also our responsibility to do that with regards to making the competition fair in the second division.”
Excited to experience the buzz on matchday
The Belgian can hardly wait to hear the roar of the crowd when the game kicks off on Saturday afternoon. The GE ultras are planning to paint a sea of Schalke colours around the VELTINS-Arena, with those in the upper tier sporting a blue shirt and the fans in the lower tier in white. “It will, without a doubt, be a sight to behold. I’m really looking forward to seeing it,” enthused Geraerts. “Every home game has been special to me from the day that I joined Schalke. The support of the fans is like no other. That’s the magic of Schalke.”
“Every home game has been special to me from the day that I joined Schalke.”
The 42-year-old is yet to decide on his XI for the clash against Hansa Rostock. “We have a lot of players who deserve to start. It’s my job to choose the line-up, which is not at all easy, but it has to be done,” explained the head coach, praising the cohesion present within the team over the past few weeks. “The boys continued to spur each other on, regardless of whether they were picked for the squad or not. We stick together firmly as a team, which shows through in our results.”
After sitting out of team training on Thursday (09/05), it’s currently uncertain as to whether Tomas Kalas, Kenan Karaman and Ron Schallenberg will make an appearance for S04 on Saturday afternoon. “I’ll decide about their involvement after today’s session. We’ll have to see whether they’re match-fit,” informed Geraerts. Leo Greiml, Ralf Fährmann, Derry John Murkin and Brandon Soppy will also miss the upcoming encounter.
