Following Millerntor success: SVE host Schalke 04

After the phenomenal win over St. Pauli, staying in the league is within arm’s reach. Now Schalke are coming to Elversberg for their first competitive game – with high hopes following the first leg.

SVE’s phenomenal victory at Millerntor saw them definitely put their weak last few weeks behind them. The 0:5 defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig on the 27th day of play was a particular setback, when Elversberg put on their worst performance of the season in Lower Saxony. Their most recent 4:3 win marked a turnaround and put staying in the league within arm’s reach. ‘It was a hugely important three points, but in my view was still not enough’, Horst Steffen noted. This means that SVE still need and will be fighting for points – ideally in their upcoming home game against Schalke 04. SVE put in a strong performance in the first leg in Gelsenkirchen and took three points home to Saarland.

Steffen set the direction for this game last weekend: ‘We want to play our next few games so that everyone says “wow, look what kind of football Elversberg plays”’. However, Schalke will be a tough opponent. They have remained undefeated for their last three games. Their recent home win over Nürnberg (2:0) in particular gave the team some breathing space. ‘Believing we have already done our job would be the biggest mistake we could make. The most important stage of the season is not yet over’, head coach Karel Geraerts explained at the press conference before the game – warning not to underestimate the strong Elversberg team.