0-0 draw away against Union Berlin

Drexler and Bülter start

Schalke were without two players that started last week’s goalless draw against VfL Wolfsburg. Tim Skarke was ruled out of the game against his parent club due to a bruised foot, while Soichiro Kozuki rolled his ankle in training and was also unavailable. They were replaced in the side by Dominick Drexler and Marius Bülter.

Uneventful first half

Both teams looked to get stuck in right from the first whistle on Sunday afternoon. The home team had the first chance from a Sven Michel cross, but Christopher Trimmel’s header from a few yards out was no issue for Ralf Fährmann (5’). At the other end, Alex Král had Schalke’s first opportunity. His header from a Rodrigo Zalazar corner was cleared by Kevin Behrens (11’).

The first half saw very little action in both boxes. Schalke were once again compact in defence, but so were Union.

The closest either side came to scoring in the first half was from a dead ball in the 22nd minute. Trimmel’s free-kick eventually fell to Danilho Doekhi, and he tried his luck on his left foot, forcing Fährmann into a smart save. Schalke’s number 1 was also on his toes for Rani Khedira’s long-range shot later in the half (39’).

No way through for either side

The second half started just like the first one ended as both teams flew into tackles but struggled to create any decent chances. Schalke looked slightly more dangerous at the start of the second period, though the final ball was often lacking. Thomas Reis’ team had the first opportunity after the break. Michael Frey hit the side-netting via a deflection from a tight angle (65’).

Union, currently second in the table, didn’t threaten the S04 goal until the 78th minute. Paul Seguin’s left-footed strike from a decent position was easily held by Fährmann. Four minutes later, a Sheraldo Becker cross was directed wide by fellow substitute Jordan, under pressure from Maya Yoshida.

The final notable opportunity was for the visitors. Simon Terodde headed the ball down to Dominick Drexler, who couldn’t get much behind his shot to trouble former S04 goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow. In the end, both teams cancelled each other out and had to make do with a point apiece.

Stuttgart at home

Schalke’s next Bundesliga game is on Saturday (25/2) at home to VfB Stuttgart. Kick off at the VELTINS-Arena is at 18:30 CET.