Victor Pálsson: It’s going to be fantastic with the fans behind us

“On Saturday we’re facing Bremen, so our focus is fully on that. We’re not yet looking at what comes after that,” emphasised Pálsson, who, alongside the rest of the team, is not concerning himself on permutations and ‘what-if’ scenarios. “We’re trying to avoid speaking about promotion as much as possible,” reported the 30-year-old Iceland international. The mood in camp is relaxed, he said, and as the next game gets closer, the more focused the team is on the task at hand.

The VELTINS-Arena will be completely sold out for the clash with Werder, and the fans are an important factor for Schalke’s number 04, as they can make all the difference in the final stages of the season. “We saw just that in the last game; the fans were there and giving it their all, and they gave us a lot of energy,” said the midfielder, who mentioned the palpable excitement in the team ahead of the match against Werder: “Everyone knows it’s going to be a great game, a real clash of the titans. It’s going to be fantastic with the fans behind us!”

Dangerous in front of goal – as a whole team

‘Fantastic’ is definitely a word you could use to describe the game Schalke’s strike partnership of Marius Bülter and Simon Terodde had last time out in Darmstadt. The two attackers scored all five of the Royal Blues’ goals: “It was important for Bülti to score, because he hadn’t for a while. We’re all delighted for him,” said Pálsson. “We also know the quality Simon has. He’s unbelievable in the box,” said Schalke’s vice-captain. The team’s danger up front – S04 have scored 64 goals this season, the most in the league – is not solely down to the two strikers, though: “We have several players who can score goals. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together.”

It is not just Schalke’s attacking talent which has shone this season; Werder’s Marvin Ducksch (17 goals) and Niclas Füllkrug (15 goals) are the second-best attacking duo in the league. “Both are really good strikers in this division. We know their quality and will have to take care of them,” said Pálsson, well aware of the strengths of this weekend’s opponents. “They’ve played very well, especially since they had a change of head coach. They are good value for where they are in the league table.” Ultimately, it will be the best team who wins on Saturday, says Pálsson, who held back from giving any predictions for both the match and the rest of the season, as “It’s all so close at the top. It will stay exciting until the very end.”