Schalke hit by injuries before cup tie at Dresden; Muslic hopes for Ljubicic return
Schalke travel to second-tier Dynamo Dresden for Wednesday's sold-out German Cup tie (1700 GMT) with a long list of absentees. Dresden coach Thomas Stamm believes his side can advance.
Archive image · Photo: Toniklemm / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Schalke 04 face second-division Dynamo Dresden in the second round of the German Cup on Wednesday with a depleted squad. Coach Miron Muslic described a "challenging personnel situation" with "some question marks". Robin Gosens and Soufiane El-Faouzi, who clashed heads in the 0-0 draw at Cologne, will miss the game; Muslic said both were doing well under the circumstances. Kenan Karaman, Moussa Sylla, Adrian Gantenbein, Ron Schallenberg and Maximilian Woeber are also out.
Muslic is hoping midfielder Dejan Ljubicic can return after being sidelined with a knee injury since September. The Austrian has completed full team training. "Dejo is of course a super important player for Schalke," Muslic said, adding that Ljubicic would return to the squad if he receives medical clearance. A final decision will follow Tuesday's last training session. Schalke's stated aim is to reach the round of 16.
Dresden expect about 30,600 spectators, including some 2,700 visiting fans, at the sold-out Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion. Coach Thomas Stamm is without centre-backs Lars Buenning, Thomas Keller and Kenneth Schmidt but otherwise has an almost full squad. He rated the Bundesliga side highly, saying they are capable of imposing their game "even against good teams", but added: "Nevertheless, it is possible to go through to the next round."