SHARE
COPY LINK

BUNDESLIGA

Schalke ‘ready for victory over Olympiakos’

Players from Ruhr valley favourite Schalke 04 said Tuesday they were looking to brush off last weekend's Bundesliga defeat and book a place in the Champions League's knock-out phase with a win over Olympiakos on Wednesday.

Schalke 'ready for victory over Olympiakos'

The Royal Blues stumbled to a 2-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday in the Bundesliga with Dutch coach Huub Stevens fuming he could have substituted nine players during a woeful display.

Midfielder Roman Neustädter says Schalke are now eager to put the Leverkusen defeat behind them and show what they can do against the Greeks with the Royal Blues top of Group B.

“We have checked off the game. We know that against Leverkusen everything went wrong that could go wrong,” said the midfielder. “Now it’s about going full throttle and focusing fully on Olympiakos.

“What happened to us against Leverkusen won’t happen a second time.”

Schalke have been guilty of erratic form this season, but showed their fighting spirit to come when they were 2-0 down to draw with Arsenal a fortnight ago at home by staying top of the group by a point from the Gunners.

Victory at the Veltins Arena would put Schalke in the knock-out phase, but it is likely to go to the final group match at Montpellier on December 4 to decide who wins the pool.

Stevens will be without Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay, who is suffering from the thigh strain he picked up in Holland’s win over Germany last week.

The Germans already have a win over Olympiakos under their belt after Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s winner in Greece, when the Oranje forward also missed a penalty.

Schalke captain Benedikt Höwedes had headed the Royal Blues ahead before the hosts equalised through Algeria midfielder Djamel Abdoun.

The Greeks come to Gelsenkirchen having kept alive their chances of reaching the knock-out phase after beating Montpellier for the second time in successive match-days.

Their 3-1 victory with late goals by Leandro Greco and Kostas Mitroglou in the last ten minutes sealed the win which keeps the Greeks third in the group and in with a fighting chance of reaching the next round.

They are just one point behind second-placed Arsenal FC and two adrift of Schalke.

But Schalke’s US midfielder Jermaine Jones has said the Royal Blues are determined to finish the job and win the pool to give themselves a good chance of an easier draw in the knock-out phase.

“Basically, we are highly motivated for every game,” he said.

“After the draw was made, everyone said that we would be the runners-up.

“We missed the chance to make it clear to Arsenal how things are, but we have the chance in our hands again and want to seize it with both hands.”

AFP/jcw

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

SPORT

EXPLAINED: The Covid rules for attending German football matches

The German Bundesliga kicks off on Friday evening with a match in Mönchengladbach. Here's a run-down of the Covid rules for football fans itching to join the crowds at the stadium.

EXPLAINED: The Covid rules for attending German football matches
Crowds cheer at a match between FC Kaiserslautern and Borussia Mönchengladbach, on August 9th, 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uwe Anspach

All eyes will be on Mönchengladbach this evening as the Bundesliga season kicks off with a match against reigning champions Bayern Munich – and this time, a crowd will be present in the stadium.

READ ALSO: German football fans get green light to return to stadiums next season

With several states liberalising their rules for public gatherings in recent months, many football fans are looking forward to enjoying a lively atmosphere at football matches once more. 

There’s just one problem: there are different rules for different stadiums. Here’s what you need to know about the Covid rules before you book your ticket for any of the upcoming fixtures. 

How many fans are allowed in the stadiums? 

According to a recent decision by the federal and state governments, football stadiums around the country are allowed to fill half of their seats and sell up to 25,000 tickets to fans. 

Of course, how much this limit affects the overall atmosphere – and the football clubs’ bottoms lines – depends on the capacity of the stadium. In Borussia Dortmund this weekend, the full 25,000 tickets have been sold – but that only equates to 30 percent of the stadium’s full capacity.

READ ALSO: German football: Which Bundesliga club should I support?

Meanwhile, in the stadium owned by Berlin’s FC Union, selling just 11,000 tickets is enough to fill half of the available seats. 

What do I need to show to get in? 

That really depends on the stadium in question, although in general anyone over the age of six will need to show a negative test or proof of vaccination or recovery – the so-called ‘3G’ rule – to enter the grounds. But other clubs, such as FC Cologne, have decided to only permit people who are vaccinated or recovered to attend matches from August 28th onwards – with exceptions for people who can’t get vaccinated, like children and pregnant woman.

At Mönchengladbach’s Borussia Park stadium, however, unvaccinated fans can enter with a negative test, though visitors who’ve stayed in a high-risk or virus variant area over the past two weeks will be unable to enter – along with people who’ve had recent contact with someone who has Covid. 


If you want to see action like this at FC Cologne’s stadium, you’ll need to get your Covid jabs sorted first. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund has taken a middle ground. While the 3G rule applies in principle, only 1,000 of the available 25,000 tickets will be sold to people who are providing a negative test. The remaining 24,000 seats will only be available for those who are vaccinated against – or recently recovered from – Covid. 

If you’re not vaccinated and are keen to see a match, it’s worth checking on your local club’s website beforehand or sending them an email to double-check whether you will be allowed in. 

What else do I need to know about? 

You’ll need to bring a FPP2 mask with you to matches to wear in your seat and while heading to the bathroom or bar, and also observe social distancing rules – meaning staying 1.5 metres apart from your fellow fans.

In most states, you’ll also need to provide your contact details, which will be saved by the club and potentially passed on to local health authorities in order to monitor a potential Covid outbreak. 

Will these rules continue throughout the season?

That’s still an open question. If infection rates in Germany continue to rise or high-profile superspreading events occur at future matches, the government could potentially crack down further on sports events in autumn.

This could involve limiting the seat numbers even further, or (more controversially), introducing a ‘vaccinated-only’ rule for entering stadiums. 

READ ALSO: Should Germany bring in Covid restrictions for unvaccinated people only?

A recent outbreak of Covid in the Mainz football team has also dampened celebrations slightly in the run-up to the start of the Bundesliga – leaving club owners urgently calling for both fans and footballers to get vaccinated. 

Speaking to WDR ahead of the season’s start, FC Cologne’s managing director Alexander Wehrle said widespread vaccination was the best route back to normality – a message reiterated by Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann. 

SHOW COMMENTS