Miron Muslic: The DFB-Pokal means a lot to us

“We’re fully in cup mode,” said Miron Muslic ahead of the DFB-Pokal tie at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor. “The DFB-Pokal means a lot to us, so our clear goal is to reach the next round and we’ll approach the game with exactly that mindset.”

The Schalke head coach is expecting a classic cup battle. “It’ll be a 50-50 game,” stated the 43-year-old. “Just like we did on Friday, Darmstadt will do everything they can to get their fans behind them from the first whistle, but we’re ready for that.” Muslic also knows that the sold-out away end will once again be loud in support of his side. “We’re FC Schalke 04 and we never travel alone! I’m already looking forward to hearing our fans behind us,” he added.

Having faced each other only a few days ago has made preparations a bit easier, Muslic explained. Schalke’s disciplined display against a tough opponent, who beat fourth-tier side VfB Lübeck 2-1 in the first round, showed exactly what was needed to win such games as a team. “We kept them away from our goal for most of the match. We’ll need to show that same defensive stability and intensity again.”

Stick to principles, maintain structure

Muslic pointed out that the two matches won’t be entirely comparable. Darmstadt are likely to welcome back right-back Sergio Lopez after suspension and top goalscorer Isac Lidberg, who missed Friday’s game through illness. “He’s a striker with real quality,” said Muslic of the Swede. “But even without Lidberg and Lopez, Darmstadt had a strong side out there. The key for us is to stick to our principles and maintain our structure on the pitch – just like in recent weeks.” He praised his team for keeping several strong attacking sides quiet lately.

Muslic didn’t reveal who will start in Darmstadt but made clear there’s no distinction between a league and cup line-up. “We pick the team based on performance, not the competition,” he explained. One player who won’t feature is Christian Gomis, who suffered a thigh injury after coming off the bench in Friday’s match and will be sidelined for several weeks. Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Timo Becker, Emil Højlund, Tomas Kalas, Bryan Lasme and Zaid Tchibara remain unavailable. “Injuries are part of football,” said Muslic. “We don’t complain – we take it as a challenge. It just means another player gets their chance to step up and perform.”

That could well be the case for Peter Remmert, who returned from a two-and-a-half-month injury lay-off last weekend with the U23s. The attacker came off the bench in the closing stages of the Regionalliga side’s 3-1 win in Velbert and scored in stoppage time. “The plan was for Peter to get his first minutes back at a competitive level, and the fact that he scored too made it the perfect comeback,” praised Muslic.

Excellent cooperation with the Knappenschmiede

Muslic again praised the club’s youth academy, whose U23 and U19 sides both sit top of their respective leagues. “Both teams are performing well, winning matches and developing players,” explained Muslic, who is in regular contact with U23 coach Jakob Fimpel and U19 boss Norbert Elgert. “We’re working really well together and we all share the same goal, which is to ensure the best possible development for our players.”

After the cup tie in Darmstadt, Schalke will stay in the southwest rather than returning to Gelsenkirchen, as their next league fixture away to Karlsruher SC is on Saturday (1/11). “We want to prepare for the KSC game in the best possible way.”