FC Schalke 04 need healthy Matija Nastasic against Eintracht Frankfurt

Matija Nastasic went down with a knee injury shortly after making his return from an Achilles’ injury, and FC Schalke 04 need him on the pitch this weekend against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Although Weston McKennie has been effective as the makeshift center back partner for young star Ozan Kabak, FC Schalke 04 clearly benefit when McKennie is free to play in midfield and a more experienced defender starts.

When Matija Nastasic returned from an Achilles’ injury, he showed few signs of rust and played at a high level in the team’s 2-1 win over Union Berlin. Nastasic even made a goal-saving tackle, showing the quality that made him a top prospect for Manchester City.

Nastasic, however, missed last week’s 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen with a knee injury, making him a late addition to the injury report. There’s hope Nastasic can return to the lineup for Matchday 15 against 11th-place Eintracht Frankfurt, but he still wasn’t at practice during Wednesday’s session.

Eintracht and Schalke will face off at 18:00 CET at the Veltins Arena on Sunday, so the date and time of the match give Nastasic some more hope for a return.

If he doesn’t play, Schalke could have issues defensively. McKennie’s ability to read the game, passing, and willingness to progress play have all helped him at center back. But his positioning could be exposed against Frankfurt, who have more traditional strikers. They use their savvy and size to beat defenders, which could leave McKennie exposed in the box whenever Filip Kostic whips in a dangerous delivery.

Goncalo Paciencia has been Eintracht’s leading scorer with six goals, picking up where he left off last season when he shined during Sebastien Haller’s spell on the sidelines. Andre Silva and Bas Dost are recent transfer acquisitions who have a combined six goals and are talented secondary scoring options at the striker position.

Nastasic could be a great antidote to the likes of Paciencia, whereas McKennie is a risk. He could shut those guys down, or he could have trouble against their movement in the box when the balls from Kostic and Danny da Costa eventually come in.

Beyond that, Nastasic is a quality center back, and Schalke are a better team with Nastasic and Kabak teaming up to shut down strikers. McKennie’s work rate, drive to push forward, and aggressive defending all lend themselves better to a midfield spot.

David Wagner will hope Nastasic’s knee injury is healed up in time for a start at the Veltins on Matchday 15, because he could end up having a big say in this game.