Cedric Brunner: We’re excited and so are the fans – we’re ready to get underway!

Schalke opened the 2022/23 competitive season with a 5-0 win against the Regionalliga side from Bremen – a successful start, according to the 28-year-old, who nevertheless knows that they will face a different caliber of opponent this weekend. The Billy Goats were knocked out on penalties in the first round of the cup this season, after finishing seventh in 2021/22.

Brunner found it difficult to rate what form the Conference League participants might be in ahead of the season opener, adding it was the same for his own team. “It’s always hard to say where you stand at the start of the season,” he said. “It will be important for us to be ready right from the start. Nothing comes easy in the Bundesliga. Every point and every goal can prove to be the difference in the end.” Brunner added that he and his teammates are ready for what’s to come. The fact that they will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd in Cologne on the opening weekend is a good thing, because “We will be right in the thick of it immediately.”

The following weekend, Schalke will host Borussia Mönchengladbach at the VELTINS-Arena, something Brunner is already looking forward to. “I made the decision a few weeks ago to join FC Schalke 04,” he said. “This is a club with a lot of tradition, fantastic fans and a great stadium – I’m proud to now be part of it.”