FC Schalke 04 can end the nightmare of relegation with a win in the catch-up game against VfL Osnabrück. Before the ghost game in Hamburg there were major disagreements between the two clubs.
It somehow fits in with this horror season for FC Schalke 04that the professionals also have to get through a ghost game shortly before the end. On Tuesday evening (May 7th, from 6:30 p.m. in the audio stream and in the live ticker) the Royal Blues will play against VfL Osnabrück in the FC St. Pauli stadium. The reason: The stadium at the “Bremer Bücke” could not and cannot be played due to damage to the roof of one of the stands, so this alternative location and date had to be used.
“I was surprised when I heard that we were playing without spectators. The situation is special,” said Schalke coach Karel Geraerts the day before the game. “So far I have always been enthusiastic about the organization 2nd league. That’s why it’s incomprehensible to me that it’s not possible to play in front of fans.”
Schalke 04 has to own it Motivation point find
The rescheduling of the match was a political issue that lasted for days, with both clubs accusing each other of spreading untruths. Both clubs could not agree on another venue. In the end, the German Football League (DFL) decided. Due to the short time, VfL apparently felt unable to create the conditions so that fans could take part in the game as usual.
A big nuisance for Schalke, who are traditionally accompanied by several thousand fans to all away games. “You have to find a point of motivation for yourself. This kind of thing always comes from the fans,” said Geraerts, referring to the lack of support in Hamburg.
Relegation chapter close
However, this game can go down in Schalke’s long history as the day on which the Royal Blues finally avoided falling into the third division. The Royal Blues would be saved with a win against the bottom team in the table, who only have a theoretical chance of staying in the league. “You can’t have more motivation than this that we can finally close this chapter,” said Geraerts.
The long nightmare would then be over and the club’s survival would be assured. And the new beginning could be initiated. “Relegation would certainly not be something we should celebrate. We would have achieved the minimum goal,” said Geraerts. “We have to look at why we got into this situation and correct it.”
With the new signing of Ben Manga and his scouting team, a new squad planner is intended to ensure that the imbalance in the team squad is balanced out and the lack of quality is remedied.
Will Geraert’s coach stay at Schalke?
It is still questionable whether coach Geraerts should help get Schalke back into the top flight as quickly as possible. According to media reports from his home country, the 42-year-old Belgian, who still has a contract in Gelsenkirchen until the summer of 2025, recently received a concrete offer from Bruges.
“When the moment comes to stay in the league, we will sit down together and discuss it,” said Geraerts. In the previous weeks he had always avoided making a public commitment to the club. Now he says: “It won’t be very difficult. I don’t see many reasons to leave Schalke.”