Kevin Müller: There’s still plenty to play for

There is a happy reason behind Kevin Müller replacing Loris Karius for the meeting with S04’s friends. Schalke’s first-choice goalkeeper is set to become a father again and has therefore been given time off by head coach Miron Muslic. For Müller, it will mean a fourth appearance in a Schalke shirt. “I’ve trained throughout my six months here at Schalke for moments like this,” he explained. He already showed that he can be relied on in three games in February and March.

The build-up to the next Saturday night fixture has been a little different. “It obviously hasn’t been a normal week of training. Even so, we’re still professional footballers and we still have a job to do.” More precisely, there are two jobs still to do, with S04 hosting Eintracht Braunschweig in their final game of the season (17/5) after this weekend’s last away match. Braunschweig are still fighting to stay up. “There’s still plenty on the line across the division,” stressed the goalkeeper, underlining the team’s awareness of what is still at stake in the run-in.

The team are sticking together once again at the end of the season

Nobody needs to worry that Müller and his teammates will take the final two games lightly. “We’ve had our fun – now it’s about doing our job again. That’s the standard every one of us sets for ourselves. We’ve stuck together all season. That shows the character of the team once again.”

Kevin Müller describes being part of that group as “a huge privilege”. After promotion was confirmed against Düsseldorf, the 35-year-old took some time to reflect on what had been achieved. “To win promotion with a club like Schalke 04 is extraordinary. You have to enjoy that.” That is especially true for him after a difficult first half of the season in Heidenheim. His personal icing on the cake? “The title. That’s a statement. And it’s always nice to have a trophy in your hands.”