FC Schalke vs Fortuna Dusseldorf predicted XI: Brand new defense

Attack

There are a lot of options here, and it’s up to David Wagner to keep shuffling them around until he finds his best possible combination. We’ve seen all manner of pairings and trios and solo efforts, but as of yet, we still have yet to see a goal from either of our two strikers—Mark Uth and Guido Burgstaller—and our other options are still in the developmental stages.

Obviously, Amine Harit starts in the central creative midfield role. He’s a full-blown superstar and should never see a bench again as long as he’s healthy. And as long as he is in that starting XI, I fully believe that any and all goal droughts can end at any time.

That said, it’s a crap shoot picking between the handful of attacking options that Wagner has to choose from for his striking pair. Against Augsburg, he chose Uth and Benito Raman and neither had that big of an impact. But that doesn’t mean that the potential wasn’t there for more. And while Wagner continues to shy away from Ahmed Kutucu, I’ll bet that he’s ready to ask Burgstaller to step up again in this one.

Pairing with him, I am honestly ecstatic to see Benito Raman back on the pitch. I don’t think Wagner will have that long of a leash with Raman, especially with Rabbi Matondo and Kutucu waiting in the ranks, but I don’t see it as that unrealistic to give Raman another chance here. Especially after he bagged a brace against Arminia.