Kees van Wonderen: Stick to our plan

The Royal Blues prepare to host 1. FC Magdeburg at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday evening (1/2). Head coach Kees van Wonderen is expecting a tough game for his side.

Magdeburg will travel to Gelsenkirchen as the league’s third-placed side, currently sitting just two points behind Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln. They have collected 25 of their 32 points this term on their travels and currently have the best away form in the league (W8, D1, L1). However, FCM haven’t been able to replicate this strength at home, where they are yet to win, and sit bottom of the home-form table as a result. The match between the sides earlier this season ended in a 2-2 draw, with Moussa Sylla and Kenan Karaman getting the goals for Schalke.

We're hosting a top team that was able to pick up decisive wins in Düsseldorf and Elversberg recently.

Kees van Wonderen

The Royal Blues will thus be welcoming a strong opponent to the VELTINS-Arena this weekend. “There’s no difference between how they play at home versus away – they are always tough to outplay,” said head coach Kees van Wonderen. “We’re hosting a top team that was able to pick up decisive wins in Düsseldorf and Elversberg recently, scoring five times in each of these games. We will face a tough challenge and will need to put in our best performance if we hope to be successful.”

The Dutchman is quickly able to identify some of FCM’s strengths. “They have more possession against nearly all of their opponents. They also include their goalkeeper in their build-up play, which makes it tough to exert pressure on them,” he explained. But, he sees his team as having what it takes to put in a good performance this weekend. “My players know exactly what they’re up against and how our opponents play. Even if they have more of the ball than we’d like, we still need to stick to our plan and make the right decisions.”

New signing provides additional option in attack

The head coach was able to welcome a new addition to his squad this past week, with Pape Meïssa Ba joining the Royal Blues. The 27-year-old took part in his first training session with the team on Thursday (30/1). “He looks to be in good physical condition, works hard and is eager to show his new club what he’s capable of,” van Wonderen shared. “We’re pleased to have a player with his quality in attack, as it helps increase the competition within our squad.” The club’s management decided to bring in the Senegalese striker to provide further coverage in attack following Emil Højlund’s injury.

A final decision on Schalke’s squad for Saturday’s clash with FCM will be made following their final training session on Friday. Kenan Karaman trained individually this week, as did Christopher Antwi-Adjei. Meanwhile, Derry John Murkin was able to return to team training following the injury he picked up away at Braunschweig nearly two weeks ago. Janik Bachmann and Amin Younes were also welcomed back to team training this past week.