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FC Schalke 04: 5 key players vs. Hertha in the DFB Pokal

By Kevin Parvizi

Schalke's Belgian forward Benito Raman celebrates scoring the opening goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Schalke 04 v Eintracht Frankfurt in Gelsenkirchen, on December 15, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Schalke's Belgian forward Benito Raman celebrates scoring the opening goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Schalke 04 v Eintracht Frankfurt in Gelsenkirchen, on December 15, 2019. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Schalke GK Alexander Nübel
BERLIN, GERMANY – JANUARY 31: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel of FC Schalke 04 gestures during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and FC Schalke 04 at Olympiastadion on January 31, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

GK Alexander Nübel

Markus Schubert suffered an injury, so Alexander Nübel will be Schalke’s starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. Many fans wanted to see Schubert lock down the starting job for the remainder of the 2019-2020 campaign, but his performance against Bayern, which wasn’t as bad as it seemed, reminded fans that he’s still a young and improving goalkeeper.

Nübel will leave for Bayern at the end of the season, but he could still be an asset to Schalke’s push for a Champions League spot. He needs to be spotless, though. Any poor patch of play would mean that a healthy Schubert could usurp him – not to mention the stick he’ll get from the home supporters if he were to make a mistake.

The pressure is on Nübel. Expect to see Krzysztof Piatek and Hertha BSC threaten his goal more frequently on Tuesday.

CM Weston McKennie

Weston McKennie isn’t fully 100 percent after dislocating his shoulder in December against Eintracht Frankfurt, but he made his return to the lineup on Friday in midfield, allowing Daniel Caligiuri to play as a right wing back in Jonjoe Kenny‘s (illness) place.

It was only his first game back, but McKennie already looked in good form. He was all over the pitch, playing as a box-to-box midfielder next to Suat Serdar. McKennie showed his usual great reading of the game, winning three interceptions, per WhoScored.com.

Serdar seemed to aggravate a foot injury against Berlin on Friday, so McKennie could very well start over the Germany international this week. If that’s the case, look for him to have a big say on this knockout match.

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