Christian Gross on a returnee, a new signing and a comeback

“Thankfully, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will travel to Bremen. We are planning to give him a cameo,” said Gross regarding the striker, after the new signing has missed the past two games with a calf problem.

Christian Gross is expecting the Dutch striker – who is second on the club’s all-time scoring chart behind Klaus Fischer – to help Schalke’s game in the final 16 games of the season. “Above all, we’re expecting goals from him, which he will get. It would be silly, however, to not look to make use of his experience. He could be a role model for Matthew Hoppe in particular,” explained the S04 coach.  Huntelaar’s experience and history with the club will also play a big part in Schalke fighting the drop, according to Gross.

The same can be said for Sead Kolasinac, who, according to Gross, “will almost definitely be back in the starting XI.” The Schalke coach wouldn’t reveal whether Timo Becker or new signing William, who arrived on loan from Wolfsburg this week, would play at right-back. “Timo is highly motivated and ready to learn, while William has a lot of experience,” said Gross.

Salif Sané is still unavailable due to his knee problems. “Together with Salif, we decided that he should complete some rehabilitative training, so that he can get back to 100%. We ultimately don’t want to take any risks,” explained Gross.

Take our chances against a compact Bremen side

The Royal Blues’ coach was confident that his side won’t be travelling back to Gelsenkirchen empty-handed. “Werder Bremen are a well-organised side, who will be compact and won’t make many mistakes. Nevertheless, we will get our chances,” commented the Swiss coach.