Benjamin Stambouli: Anything can happen in the derby

Stambouli spoke about how games against BVB are always special and very emotional for him. „It is always a great honour to take part in a derby,“ said the 29-year-old vice captain.

Stambouli has played against Dortmund five times and he has not lost a single encounter. The first three ended in a draw, the last two victories with Schalke. The Frenchman did not feature during last season’s home defeat in December. „I really want my positive record against them to remain intact,“ said Stambouli, commenting on his role as Schalke’s lucky charm in the derby: „We will give everything to win this game.“

The defender has several great derby day memories. „The 4-4 draw was just mental, so was the 2-0 win at home that season,“ he recalled fondly. „Last season, nobody expected us to get a result and then we turned up in Dortmund and won the game.“

Lessons learned in Sinsheim

Stambouli does not think that last week’s 2-0 defeat to Hoffenheim will have negative effects on the coming game. „After a defeat we pick ourselves up quickly and look at how we can improve,“ said the vice captain, who assured us that the 90 minutes in Sinsheim on Sunday had been well analysed by the team. „Our coach said we need the killer instinct – going forward and at the back. It is important that our actions are even more consistent,“ revealed Stambouli: „We need to defend together and score goals at the other end – both aspects are a team effort.“

In order to win the second derby on the trot on Saturday, the team needs „1904 percent killer instinct,“ according to Benji, who also placed importance on remaining focused for the duration of the 90 minutes against a team like Dortmund. A derby is a game like no other – „anything can happen in a derby.“ Benjamin Stambouli wants nothing more than to be able to „celebrate with the fans after the game.“