Preseason friendlies: Schalke 04 vs. Atalanta, probable lineups

After last Sunday’s extra-long friendly against Feyenoord, which they lost 2-1 (the match included 30 minutes of extra time added to the regulation 90 minutes to allow as many players as possible to see action), Maurizio Sarri’s Atalanta returns to the field on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Gelsenkirchen against Schalke 04, a former powerhouse of German soccer that has, however, just regained its place in the Bundesliga.

The North Rhine-Westphalia-based team has played in the Zweite Bundesliga four times in the last five years, with its most recent season in the top flight dating back to 2022–2023, which ended in relegation. The days of league titles are long gone (the last one dates back to 1958, when the Bundesliga didn’t even exist) as are the days of their 1997 UEFA Cup triumph, when they defeated Inter Milan on penalty kicks in the two-legged final. Their most recent triumph was the German Cup won in 2011; since then, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions—very often negative ones.

Atalanta, for its part, aims to usher in a new era, building on a foundation that—at least on paper—is more solid and a string of successes in recent years that have helped make the Bergamo-based club one of the most respected even on the international stage. Last year, a difficult start weighed heavily on the team: with the departure of Ivan Juric and the arrival of Raffaele Palladino, the situation improved, and the team qualified for the Conference League playoffs; now it’s up to Sarri to build on the positive momentum from the second half of last season.

Probable Lineups

SCHALKE 04 (4-2-3-1): Karius; T. Becker, Ayhan, Kurucay, V. Becker; El Faouzi, Schallenberg; Ljubicic, Karaman, Aouchiche; Adamu. Head Coach: Muslic.

ATALANTA (4-3-3): Carnesecchi; Bellanova, Kossounou, Scalvini, Bernasconi; Ederson, De Roon, Pasalic; Samardzic, Scamacca, Raspadori. Coach: Sarri.