2-1 home victory over Hoffenheim

Nastasic returns, Meyer misses out

Matija Nastasic returned from suspension straight into the starting XI. The Serbia international came in for the suspended Max Meyer as Benjamin Stambouli stepped up and took his place in front of the defence.

Schalke dominate the first half

The Knappen flew out of the blocks and controlled large swathes of the opening stages. Soon, that dominance was reflected in the scoreline. With eleven minutes on the clock, Thilo Kehrer headed the Royal Blues in front. A few minutes later, the VELTINS Arena was celebrating once again but the cheers were cut short as Breel Embolo’s delightful chip was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee.

However, the Royal Blues didn’t let the result get to them and continued to apply pressure on their opponents. The pressure eventually got to the visitors. Breel Embolo forced Kevin Vogt into a fatal error and meant he could poke the ball into an empty goal, doubling Schalke’s lead in the process.

TSG come into the game for closing stages

After the change of sides, the Knappen had things less their own way. Still, Guido Burgstaller’s flick almost resulted in Schalke extending their lead to three but was saved by Baumann shortly before the hour mark. Burgstaller went close again later on as his link-up play with Embolo led to him flicking the ball over a defender’s head before rifling a volley narrowly wide of the post. It would have been a goal of the season contender.

However, in the last 20 minutes, TSG turned up the heat. Kramaric and Szalai went close and eventually Kramaric nodded past Fährmann to ensure it would be a tense ending in Gelsenkirchen. Yet, Schalke’s back-line stood strong and meant Schalke claimed their first home win of 2018 this evening.

Next up: Leverkusen

After a crucial win today, the next task awaiting the Royal Blues is a trip to Leverkusen. The clash between the Knappen and the Werkself takes place next Sunday at 15:30 CET in the BayArena.