Schalke 04 vs Borussia Dortmund preview - Keller expects emotional derby

Posted Friday, September 26, 2014 by PA

It is one word which encapsulates many emotions, and it has been on the lips of everybody in Germany's industrial heartland in recent days - Revierderby.

The 145th edition of the local derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund takes place this Saturday with a whole region standing still for one of the most important 90 minutes of the season.

"It is the mother of all derbies," said Schalke coach Jens Keller, needing no more words to express the importance of a game which needs little by the way of introduction.

"I'm not going to have to motivate my team," he added.

In an area of Germany where football is a way of life, Saturday's clash at the Veltins-Arena is practically all that matters.

"These games are something quite special for both clubs and for the fans," added Keller. "Everybody on the field of play is going to be up for this.

"It's not like any other game before. Both teams will be highly motivated and there are going to be plenty of emotions involved."

The fact only two points separate the two sides, who have both made indifferent starts to the season, only raises the stakes with neither able to afford defeat.

"I think the strains both we and Dortmund are under every year are so high that both of our motors are a bit sluggish right now," added the Schalke coach. "But this is a derby and all the problems you have disappear and new energy is released."

Keller has to decide whether or not to restore Kevin-Prince Boateng to his starting XI having seen his side pick up their first win of the season in midweek while the Ghanaian was suspended.

Julian Draxler is not an option, though, as he sits out the second game of a two-match ban.

His loss is nothing compared to the difficulties Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has in picking his team.

With Henrikh Mkhitaryan added to a long list of injured players, Shinji Kagawa and Sven Bender have been forced to play recently despite not being 100 per cent fit, and with no real alternatives, they will have to start again in Gelsenkirchen.

Only up front Klopp has options with Adrian Ramos an alternative to Ciro Immobile, who opened his Bundesliga account in midweek.