Schalke predicted XI vs Dortmund in Revierderby return

Defense

Again, as a caveat, it’s hard to say who is fully fit and who isn’t. Even players that were healthy may not be fully fit, or may not even be comfortable being out there—who knows. There’s a lot at play here.

That said, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Jonjoe Kenny will be starting at right-back and Bastian Oczipka will be starting at left-back. These two have been the incredibly reliable duo all year, holding down the flanks and giving Schalke so much production from wide angles. Especially when there have been no wingers to balance out the attack.

In the center, while we were going to get really optimistic and say that it’s time for the partnership we’ve been waiting for—Ozan Kabak and Salif Sane—it has sadly been announced by David Wagner that Kabak is not available for selection. Both were supposed to be done for the year, but the extended layoff gave them time to recover, and while Sane looks set to return, Kabak is going to need more time, though he doesn’t look that far off.

Which means that it will likely fall to the next in line, which is probably going to mean Matija Nastasic.

Midfield is next.