Schalke vs Paderborn predicted XI: Lopsided would be nice

Midfield

Another area of concern, since both Suat Serdar and Weston McKennie are injured. Serdar had to be subbed off against Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga and thus missed the DFB-Pokal Cup. His injury seemed a bit more serious than Weston McKennie’s. McKennie finished the midweek match limping, but he’s a trooper.

More from Release The Knappen

• Schalke 04: Arkadiusz Milik would take everything, but he’s worth it
• Schalke 04: Ozan Kabak makes Jean-Claire Todibo pass quietly
• Schalke 04: Omar Mascarell the only boost between now and then
• Schalke 04: David Wagner just has to make it to the end of the season
• Schalke 04: At least we still have Weston McKennie

As such, if either is going to be ready, I’d wager on McKennie being the one to get the green light, and that’s what I’ll predict here. McKennie to start on the right side of the midfield in support of the fill-in rightback.

In the middle, Omar Mascarell will keep his position as midfield sweeper/centerback. He’s always where he needs to be, one of then most reliable guys in the league. It’s nice to be able to count on him every match.

Lastly, with Serdar a doubt, I would like to see Alessandro Schopf back in the starting XI. There’s still so much untapped potential in the Austrian and I’m hoping that more game time can get him back into the form that we’ve only ever glimpsed before.

Last but never least, let’s move on to the attack.