1-1 draw in Mönchengladbach extends Schalke’s unbeaten run to 10

Three changes to the starting XI

Following the 2-2 draw against Köln last weekend, three changes were made to the starting XI for the Royal Blues. Thilo Kehrer, Breel Embolo and Franco di Santo came into the starting XI in place of Benjamin Stambouli, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Guido Burgstaller. Domenico Tedesco was forced to do without Nabil Bentaleb, Pablo Insua, Alessandro Schöpf and Leon Goretzka due to injury.

Kramer puts Gladbach ahead

After a tense opening at Borussia-Park, the Foals took the lead. After a corner, the ball fell to Christoph Kramer at the back post who poked home from close range. Schalke didn’t let the goal get to them and almost had the perfect response. Thilo Kehrer fired a shot towards the top corner but Matthias Ginter stopped it on the line.

Towards the end of the first half, the Royal Blues had a stroke of fortune to ensure the scoreline was only 1-0 at the break. Grifo hit the bar and Lars Stindl fired in the rebound – only for it to be called back for offside. Minutes later, the referee awarded Gladbach a penalty after a foul from Naldo. However, after consultation with the Video Assistant Referee, the decision was rescinded due to a foul in the build-up on Daniel Caligiuri.

Vestergaard puts it past his own goalkeeper

Mönchengladbach started the second half on the front foot. However, soon, Schalke began to get a foothold on the game and got themselves a deserved equaliser. Daniel Caligiuri whipped in a dangerous ball into a corridor of uncertainty which Jannick Vestergaard attempted to clear but instead poked the ball past Yann Sommer and into his own goal.

This goal changed the dynamic of the whole game as Schalke seized the initiative and momentum. Shortly after being introduced, Guido Burgstaller rocketed a shot past a stranded Sommer but it went narrowly over the bar. Three minutes before the end, Schalke’s number 19 had another good chance to score but he was denied by Yann Sommer and ensured the spoils were shared. The result means Schalke have now gone 10 games without defeat.

Midweek game against Augsburg

The Royal Blues hardly have time to breathe before they are back in action. On Wednesday at 20:30 CET, FC Augsburg head to the VELTINS-Arena. Tickets are still available at the Schalke website for the Augsburg clash before the Knappen play Eintracht Frankfurt next Saturday.