FC Schalke 04: Schopf, Stambouli, and Sane injury updates
FC Schalke 04 will face Union Berlin on Friday evening, but they have a few key injuries that could carry over into 2020.
Over the past couple of weeks, FC Schalke 04’s depth at center back has been tested. First, Benjamin Stambouli went down with a broken bone in his foot in October’s 0-0 Revierderby draw, and he was initially projected to be out until 2020.
Then, Salif Sane suffered a devastating knee injury early in Schalke’s 3-2 win over Augsburg. Thankfully, he’ll be back at some point in the 2019-2020 campaign, but fans will be anxiously waiting for updates on their star defender.
Matija Nastasic is back in the fold and Ozan Kabak has been exceptional as a starter over the past three games, so The Miners are one of the few teams in Europe that could withstand injuries to two star center backs.
According to Schalke manager David Wagner, fans can expect Sane to be out until February, which would give him a good few months to help Schalke in their pursuit of a Champions League place Meanwhile, the manager hopes Stambouli can return before Christmas. The Royal Blues will face fourth-place Freiburg on Dec. 21 in their last game before the break.
💬 #Wagner on injuries: "Everything is going to plan for Salif and Benji. We hope Salif will be back in February, while we'll have to see if Benji can return before Christmas or not."#s04 | #S04FCU pic.twitter.com/nwpuv9L2R5
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) November 28, 2019
Wagner also gave an injury update on Alessandro Schopf, who recently suffered a muscular injury and missed last week’s game against Werder Bremen.
💬 #Wagner continues: "Nassim will probably return to training the week after the Leverkusen game. We're not sure if Schöpfi will play again before Christmas."#s04 | #S04FCU pic.twitter.com/ENHYDeXHzs
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) November 28, 2019
Consider Schopf and Stambouli as doubts to play before Christmas, though it would be tempting for the Royal Blues to have both players available against Freiburg. If Stambouli is less than 100 percent, he may not be a better option than either Nastasic or Kabak, who, again, has been stellar since starting after Stambouli’s injury.
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As for Schopf, he’s valuable depth and works hard on both ends of the pitch. He looks like one of the Bundesliga’s best defensive wingers, though he may not be the right player to start against Freiburg. Benito Raman has looked fantastic out wide, so he and Daniel Caligiuri seem to be the ideal pairing on the wings for Wagner.