28.
8:59 p.m
Both sides neutralize each other in midfield, so that the ball rarely gets into the dangerous areas.
25.
20:56
Fortuna seems to have overcome the deficit well and is now looking for a way back into the game with their own possession phases. However, the home team plays a hard midfield press, so that the ball carrier is disturbed at the latest around ten meters in front of the halfway line.
22.
20:54
Düsseldorf shows that today you didn’t just travel to Gelsenkirchen as a party guest. The ball is won on the left side before Shinta Appelkamp is looked for with a cross to the second post. However, his header is too central, so Loris Karius grabs it safely.
22.
20:51
Yellow card for Tim Breithaupt (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
Tim Breithaupt loses the leather in the opponent’s half and draws a tactical foul in a duel with Soufiane El-Faouzi, which is why he sees yellow.
21.
8:50 p.m
After a little more than 20 minutes of play, the league leaders have not let anything go wrong so far. Quite the opposite: the Royal Blues keep finding their way forward.
19.
8:50 p.m
A foul results in the home team getting a free kick around 19 meters from the goal. Adil Aouchiche turns the ball past the wall on the right. However, the midfielder wants to be too precise, so the ball goes to the right Outside post clap!
18.
8:49 p.m
Moussa Sylla is sent into the penalty area on the right and the striker immediately looks for the finish. However, he loses control when he shoots, so the ball flies clear over the goal and lands on the south curve.
16.
8:48 p.m
After 15 minutes played, FC Schalke 04 is leading and would currently be promoted to the Bundesliga. Miron Muslic accepts the goal very calmly and just clenches his fist.
15.
8:44 p.m
Tooor for FC Schalke 04, 1-0 by Kenan Karaman
The Veltins Arena is upside down! Kenan Karaman sets the first exclamation mark of the evening and puts the Royal Blues in the lead. There is a slow build-up on the left before Adil Aouchiche tries to pass a cross inside. However, the pass into the middle is deflected so that Karaman can receive the ball to the left on the edge of the penalty area. After around four meters he shoots into the far corner and gives Florian Kastenmeier no chance.
14.
8:43 p.m
After the first few minutes were easily dominated by the home team, Fortuna Düsseldorf now seems to be slowly but surely finding its way into the game better.
11.
20:42
In his last second division game, referee Patrick Ittrich also gets the ball again. Hasan Kuruçay wants to play a sharp, half-high shot forward, but Ittrich stands between them in the center circle and blocks the ball. This means there is referee ball before the S04 gets possession of the ball again.
9.
8:39 p.m
The guests are also on the offensive for the first time. After a throw-in from the left side, there should be a flat cross to the inside, but it slips into the shot on goal. Loris Karius is in the right position and can safely parry the scene.
7.
8:38 p.m
Fortuna crosses the center line in a structured manner for the first time, but the attack backfires. Schalke countered quickly before Moussa Sylla shot from half-right from 15 meters. Florian Kastenmeier gets his right leg out and can prevent the impact. However, the assistant referee’s flag then goes up, so a supposed hit probably wouldn’t have counted.
5.
8:36 p.m
The hosts are looking for the way forward. First a shot by Kenan Karaman from 20 meters is blocked, before Adil Aouchiche is able to finish from 14 meters shortly afterwards. The defenders also get a leg up on his attempt, so that Florian Kastenmeier can grab it safely.
4.
8:34 p.m
The away team burned off a lot of pyrotechnics before kick-off, causing clouds of smoke to drift onto the field. There the home team tries to penetrate down the right side to the baseline before Moussa Sylla puts in a great effort to win a corner. However, the corner kick does not pose any danger.
1.
8:32 p.m
Then you can get started! FC Schalke 04 plays in royal blue, while Fortuna wears red. The Veltins Arena has been in a party mood for some time now, so the atmosphere is particularly good.
1.
8:30 p.m
Game start
19:57
After the 3-2 win at SC Paderborn, Miron Muslic unsurprisingly made no changes to the starting lineup. So he trusts his team, who were able to turn around a 0-2 deficit against the second-place team. So the S04 is once again in a 4-3-3 formation. The guests from Düsseldorf only made one change after the 3-1 win. Tim Breithaupt takes over in defensive midfield for Anouar El Azzouzi, who is not in the squad due to a shoulder injury. Alexander Ende’s team will start in a 4-2-3-1 system and is therefore a little more defensively positioned than last week.
7:50 p.m
A look at the statistics speaks volumes. The strongest home team in the 2nd Bundesliga meets the fourth weakest team away from home. The Knappen have only left the Veltins Arena as losers once this season. There are also three points splits and eleven wins. With the tailwind of possible promotion, the S04 goes into the encounter against Fortuna Düsseldorf as the clear favorite. At the beginning of December, Miron Muslic’s men also won their first meeting with Fortuna with a 2-0 win. However, Düsseldorf caused a sensation last week with a 3-1 win against Dynamo Dresden.
19:43
For the guests, however, the top game in the 2nd Bundesliga is also very important. The 15th place in the table is just one point. in front of the relegation place, which is taken by the resurgent Magdeburg team. As a result, Alexander Ende’s team will not have arrived at the Schalke arena without ambition. With the maximum number of points, Fortuna would not be freed from the difficult situation, but another success on the last two match days would probably guarantee direct relegation. As a result, there are unlikely to be any gifts from Düsseldorf today.
7:38 p.m
FC Schalke 04’s last game in the Bundesliga was on May 27, 2023. On the last matchday, the Blue-Whites needed a win at RB Leipzig, but things turned out very differently than hoped. With a 2:4 defeat, the Knappen said goodbye to the top German league after just one year and then had to survive two turbulent years. However, this season, when expectations were significantly lower around the club, promotion seems to be working. After 31 games, Königsblau is at the top of the table with 64 points and would make everything perfect with a three-pointer against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
7:30 p.m
Hello and welcome to the Saturday evening game in the 2nd Bundesliga. Can FC Schalke 04 secure promotion on matchday 32 after three years in the second division in their home Veltins Arena or will Fortuna Düsseldorf become a party crasher?
