Horst Heldt wants individual performances in Champions League clash.
Schalke 04 must produce a big performance if they want to live with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea on Tuesday in the Champions League, the German’s boss Horst Heldt has insisted.
Schalke face back-to-back clashes in Europe against Chelsea as Tuesday’s match at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins Arena will be followed by a trip to Stamford Bridge on November 6.
Having won both of their Group E matches against Steaua Bucharest and FC Basel, leaders Schalke face a big test of their mettle against second-placed Chelsea.
The Blues crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat to Swiss champions Basel at Stamford Bridge in their opening match, but Schalke have suffered from erratic form this season.
Having laboured to a 3-2 win at Bundesliga bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday, Schalke twice came from behind before Roman Neustaedter’s 91st-minute winner.
“If we want to survive against Chelsea, we desperately need an improvement in individual performances,” fumed director of sport Heldt.
The Blues’ boss rates 2012 Champions League-title winners Chelsea as “top favourites for the title” and insisted Schalke need a “much better performance than in Braunschweig”.
Schalke are hoping to welcome back goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from a back injury, while US midfielder Jermaine Jones and Ghana star Kevin-Prince Boateng should be fit after knee injuries.
But Schalke will be without defensive midfielder Marco Hoeger, who tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee against Braunschweig and looks to be out for the rest of the season after Monday’s operation.
Chelsea badly need a win in Gelsenkirchen to build on their 4-0 win at Steaua Bucharest as they bounced back from their Basel defeat.
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