Schalke: 5 key players to watch against Fortuna Dusseldorf

AUGSBURG, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 03: Suat Serdar of FC Schalke 04 and Florian Niederlechner of FC Augsburg battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke 04 at WWK-Arena on November 3, 2019 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 03: Suat Serdar of FC Schalke 04 and Florian Niederlechner of FC Augsburg battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke 04 at WWK-Arena on November 3, 2019 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
AUGSBURG, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 03: Suat Serdar (R) of Schalke celebrates scoring the first team goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke 04 at WWK-Arena on November 03, 2019 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 03: Suat Serdar (R) of Schalke celebrates scoring the first team goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke 04 at WWK-Arena on November 03, 2019 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

CM Suat Serdar

Suat Serdar will get more opportunities to shine for Germany during the November international break, as Joachim Low has called up the box-to-box midfielder for some more national team duty. But before that, Serdar will look to help pick up a victory for the club where he’s emerged as a breakout star and a national team-quality player.

Serdar has been one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga this season. His technical quality is simply magnificent, and he is exactly the player that the defense does not want to see popping up around the penalty box.

Recently returned from injury, Serdar had a few strong moments against Augsburg, but he could really get back to 100-percent against Dusseldorf. Look for Serdar to be one of the best players on the pitch this Saturday.

RM Daniel Caligiuri

It’s hard to list a singular position for Daniel Caligiuri, as the veteran leader has worn many hats for Schalke this season. Just like Weston McKennie, Caligiuri’s versatility and soft skills make him a key component of the Royal Blues’ squad, and he’s used to being a regular in the starting XI for the Gelsenkirchen club.

Caligiuri was a standout in 2017-2018 and one of the lone bright spots in 2018-2019. This season, Caligiuri’s passing has been a little off and the quality hasn’t quite been up to his standard, but he’s still managed to make a difference with his gritty two-way work on the wings.

dark. Next. FC Schalke predicted Starting XI vs. Fortuna Dusseldorf

Even last week, Caligiuri looked a little bit off the pace in the first half, as he was subbed in after Salif Sane suffered a heartbreaking injury. Yet Caligiuri only needed two free kicks to create two goals for his club that were both equalizing goals.

Caligiuri’s technical quality, especially on set pieces, is worth revering, and perhaps another set piece from the maestro will change the complexion of the home game vs. Dusseldorf.