Kenan Karaman ahead of Düsseldorf clash: We’re in a much better place now

“In our situation, getting some stability was important. We’ve managed to do that over the past few weeks,” explained Karaman, who is set to face off against his former club this weekend. The attacker was a Düsseldorf player from 2018 to 2021 and bagged 16 goals in 72 appearances for Saturday’s opponents. “It’s a special game for me,” expressed the 30-year-old. Karaman went on to say that he’s not just looking to add to his impressive home record on Saturday, but also help Schalke reach the 39-point mark at this crucial stage of the season.

Fortuna are on a six-game winning streak in the 2. Bundesliga, but Schalke will be hoping that the fans at the VELTINS-Arena knock Daniel Thioune’s side off their stride. “We play with confidence in home games. We like to get forward and win possession,” said Karaman, who is convinced the Royal Blues will have something to celebrate on Saturday despite the visitors being in red-hot form. The Turkish international stressed that Schalke have amends to make after losing 5-3 against Fortuna in November. “We’re in a much better place now than we were earlier this season. We’re much a lot stable. We know what we’ve got to do. Just like in all our home games with the Schalke fans behind us, it’ll be very tricky for Fortuna.

Taking responsibility

Karaman has eleven goals and nine assists in the 27 games he’s played for Schalke this season, which are career-best returns for the 30-year-old. “At the beginning of the season, I said that I wanted to take more responsibility. I think I’ve done exactly that up to now,” said the versatile attacker, who has played both as a second striker and as a number ten for the Royal Blues this campaign. “When we line up with two strikers, I like to imagine that the role of the second striker involves playing a bit deeper. I often drop back into the midfield as a result and try to find spaces where we can get in behind,” he explained. Karaman also mentioned that the number ten position is a good fit for him. “Recognising and anticipating certain scenarios has got something to do with age,” said S04’s number 19. Schalke’s top scorer is aiming to add to his 31 Turkey caps at the European Championships this summer and explained that he’ll be holding out hope for a call-up from Vincenzo Montella up until the final squad is revealed. “I’m going to give it my all in these last few games and hopefully that’ll open some doors for me.”