S04 land in Istanbul

“It will not be easy,” said the head coach before the game, that starts on Wednesday (24/10/18 21:00 CEST). “A raucous and intimidating stadium awaits us. Nevertheless we don’t want to be shy and will play with courage.”

Christian Heidel also knows about the atmosphere in the stadium. “I have been to watch a few games and it is amazing,” said the sporting director. “We have to respect the opposition and what awaits us there. Not many of us have experienced such a stadium. The players need to look forward to playing in such an atmosphere but also realise that they will not be friendly towards us. We must not be afraid.” The 55-year-old also said, “We are in Istanbul to take a big step forward.”

Last game in Istanbul ended 1-1

For Schalke, it will be there second ever game in Turkey. Their first game came in the 2012/2013 Champions League quarter-final as Schalke 04 drew 1-1 in Turkey. Since this game, a lot has changed. Ralf Fährmann, who was on the bench, is the only remaining player from that game. Timo Hildebrand stood between the posts for the game and Jermaine Jones was the scorer.

Fährmann will not play this time either. The goalkeeper, who recently had to miss the Werder Bremen game, is suffering from a muscle injury and has therefore not travelled to the Turkish capital. His replacement will be Alexander Nübel. „Nobody is worried about having Alex in goal,“ says Tedesco. The young keeper impressed against Werder Bremen and has played well for the Germany U21s recently. In addition to Fährmann, Schalke will also be without Naldo who is ill.