A good feeling going into the derby

Not 72 hours after the 3-1 defeat to Porto, the Royal Blues had the chance to show a positive reaction. “In Porto we were too passive and let ourselves be pressured in defence. Today we proved to the fans that we have a good mentality and quality within us,” said Daniel Caligiuri. Guido Burgstaller also shone on the pitch, “We played how we imagined we could.”

Courage and possession earns a deserved point

The Royal Blues needed a few minutes to adapt to the game after they were put under pressure by TSG in the opening period. Ralf Fährmann was called into action several times at the start of the match. “The fact that Ralle played well is nothing new,” said Domenico Tedesco on the quality of his goalkeeper, “today we can praise him for his amazing start to the game.” This opening phase contributed to the stability of the game. “The possession and courage were the main aspects today and they helped swing the game in our favour,” said the coach.

Burgstaller was almost responsible for a Schalke win. “I’m annoyed that I didn’t take my chances. At half-time it could have been 3-3,” the Austrian said about the first half, which once again provided much excitement for the fans. A cross from Caligiuri hit the hand of Steven Zuber in the box and, after having blown for a penalty, referee Dr. Robert Kampka then looked at the situation once again using VAR and retracted his previous decision. Then came a handball from Bastian Oczipka around the hour mark, however the referee this time awarded a penalty to the opposition and Andrej Kramaric put TSG in front.

“Despite the two setbacks, we rewarded ourselves with a deserved equaliser,” said Caligiuri on his team’s morale. The 30-year-old, who had the most touches of the ball out of any player (85), was involved in getting the equaliser. Ermin Bicakcic brought the German-Italian down in the box and Nabil Bentaleb struck home from 12 yards to bring Schalke level.

The anticipation is building

In the closing phases, both teams were playing for a win. “We tried everything we could. We had 10 corners, which underlines our offensive efforts. Unfortunately we just couldn’t find that winning goal,” said Fährmann, seemingly frustrated with the result. Nevertheless it was the first time this season that the Royal Blues had come back after going behind. “It’s not bad to draw 1-1 with Hoffenheim,” explained Oczipka.

The left-back then turned his attention to the upcoming Saturday (8/12 15:30 CET). “The fans are already excited for what’s coming. We’re really looking forward to the derby!” Caligiuri could not hide his anticipation for the game, “We are going forward with a very good feeling after the game against Hoffenheim and have a full week to prepare. Then we’ll go for it!”