Miron Muslic: We’ll be pushed to our physical limits

The Schalke boss will name two separate matchday squads and divide the group accordingly. The plan is to give as many players as possible the maximum game time. “The lads will be pushed to their physical limits and they’ll feel by the end that they’ve been out there for 90 minutes,” said Muslic.

That’s exactly the idea behind the double-header, explained the new head coach, now in his third week of pre-season with the team. That’s why the training schedule in Stubaital is being precisely monitored. “You can’t underestimate the physical demands of playing 90 minutes after just three weeks of training. But that’s exactly the kind of challenge we need,” he said. In Schalke’s earlier friendlies, the team was often fully rotated at half-time.

Muslic praised his side’s performance in the 0-0 draw against Greek runners-up Panathinaikos on Wednesday (09/07) – a team who will face Rangers in Champions League qualifying in just over a week’s time. “We did some things well already, but there are still areas where we need to improve. What matters to me is sticking to our principles on the pitch and seeing progress,” he said.

Goalkeeper Loris Karius will not feature in either of Saturday’s games, but is progressing well on his personal training plan. He is expected to take part in another intense session on Saturday – the penultimate day of Schalke’s training camp in Stubaital. Meanwhile, Kenan Karaman and Janik Bachmann, who are following individual programmes in Neustift, will also not be available for the friendlies.