Miron Muslic: We’ll quickly find the right balance again

It won’t just be demanding on the pitch – the weather in Schleswig-Holstein is set to make it a gritty afternoon for the Royal Blues and their travelling supporters. The players can’t exactly wrap up warm out on the grass, but Muslic feels his side are ready for whatever conditions they face: “It’s been the same in recent weeks, which is why we prepared for the second half of the season back home during the winter break,” explained the 43-year-old. “We’re expecting a stiff breeze, but we should have the mental strength to deal with that. Everyone’s looking forward to the game and we want to get back to winning ways.”

Second-placed Schalke are still waiting for their first league win of 2026. Having lost 2-0 away at VfL Bochum, S04 have otherwise picked up three draws: away at Hertha BSC (0-0), at home to 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2-2) and most recently against Dynamo Dresden (2-2). Kiel are currently 12th on 24 points. The Storks have only one win in the new year so far: a 2-0 home victory over SC Paderborn 07 on matchday 18. That was followed by a 2-2 draw away at Arminia Bielefeld after leading 2-0, a 2-1 home defeat to bottom side SpVgg Greuther Fürth, and most recently a 3-1 loss away at Hannover 96.

“We’re going through a tough period like every team in the top six has already had,” Muslic said on the current run of form. Against Dresden, Schalke looked set to get back to winning ways, only to concede twice late on after going 2-0 up. “It took a bit of the shine off how well the lads played in the second half.” The winter signings also impressed, with Moussa Ndiaye, Dejan Ljubičić, Adil Aouchiche and Edin Džeko all on the pitch together at one stage. “Adil and Moussa had only had two sessions with us beforehand, but the understanding was already there.”

In the first half of the season, the Knappen had success thanks to their defensive solidity and the low number of goals conceded. Since December, a long list of absentees has shifted the balance of the side, and Muslic and his squad are working to get back to what made them so successful. “The new lads are a great fit for our squad, so we’ll quickly get back to the right balance between defensive stability and attacking threat.”

Even if the table might suggest a clear picture with 12th against 2nd, Schalke’s coach stressed just how tough the task will be: “Kiel are the fittest team in the league and one of the quickest sides.” Holstein, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season, rank first in the division for total distance covered and sit second for both sprints and intensive runs. Kiel have also produced some standout performances in the DFB-Pokal this season, even if their run ended in the quarter-finals against VfB Stuttgart. “In the first half they were clearly the better team, so we won’t be fooled by the league table,” Muslic noted. “We’ll have to be 100% on it, but we’ll also make sure Kiel have to be 100% on it too.”

Four players ready for Kiel

Muslic also had encouraging team news. Goalkeeper Loris Karius and defender Nikola Katic, both of whom had to take things a bit easier during the week, are available for Sunday’s trip to Kiel. “Loris has been back in full team training since Thursday, and Nikola was able to rejoin fully on Friday and catch up on a few extra bits.” Max Grüger and Janik Bachmann will also be back in the matchday squad after long layoffs and will “give us more quality and depth,” as Muslic put it. Sunday will come too soon for Adrian Gantenbein, who is yet to return to full training and has only been completing parts of the sessions this week.