Schalke 04 take on Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, and they'll be doing so with their third goalkeeper. Starter Ralf Fährmann and backup Fabian Giefer are out, so Roberto Di Matteo will have to turn to 19-year-old Timon Wellenreuther, Schalke's B-team keeper.
Schalke forced to start youth goalkeeper vs. Real Madrid in Champions League
Timon Wellenreuther will remain between the sticks for Schalke, as their top two goalkeepers haven’t recovered in time to face Real Madrid.
Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images
While Wellenreuther is a solid, young goalkeeper, who almost certainly has a decent professional career ahead of him, he is by no means an elite prospect. He has never been capped by a German youth team and Schalke II are currently in the relegation zone in the fourth division Regionalliga West. They’ve conceded 30 goals this season, good for fifth-worst in the 18-team league.
And it's not like Schalke's defense and goalkeeper situations are great even when they're healthy. Die Königsblauen advanced to the knockout stage, despite allowing 14 goals in six games, worst in their group. Fährmann is a solid, serviceable backup who has played his way into a starting role post-Manuel Neuer sale only due to the incompetence of the other men who have held Schalke's starting goalkeeper role since.
The good news for Schalke is that Wellenreuther has been competent in his last two games. He did very well to shut out Borussia Mönchengladbach, then got no help in a 1–0 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt. He's not going to embarrass himself, but 'Gladbach and Eintracht aren't anywhere near Real Madrid's level. Wellenreuther could turn in an excellent performance while conceding six goals.
Schalke has already had the deck stacked against them, and the news that Giefer won’t be fit in time for this match just makes it even more unlikely that they’ll cause Madrid problems.
See More:
